Department for Transport

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Carbon Emissions

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the total CO2 emissions from HS2 Phase One construction in the event that fossil-based diesel is not replaced with an advanced renewable diesel for all heavy plant and related transport.

Andrew Stephenson: The overall construction carbon impact of HS2 Phase One is reported in the relevant Environmental Statement*. This aspsessment presents a reasonable worst-case scenario and assumes fossil-based diesel is used for heavy plant and related transport. The statement was produced to accompany the then High Speed Rail (London - West Midlands) Bill. In the four years since publication, technological improvements and adoption of best working practices will have superseded many of the findings therein, including HS2 Ltd’s adoption of a target to cut construction carbon emissions by 50% against industry baselines. Contributors to achieving this target include the adoption of plant and facilities that do not use fossil-based diesel.* https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hs2-phase-one-environmental-statement-documents

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimation his Department has made of the greenhouse gas emissions from the use of fossil diesel in the construction of HS2 Phase One.

Andrew Stephenson: Carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, which accounts for the climate impact of all greenhouse gases, is referred to as ‘Carbon’ in our assessments. The construction carbon impact of HS2 Phase One is reported in the relevant Environmental Statement*. This assessment presents a reasonable worst-case scenario assuming fossil-based diesel for heavy plant and related transport. It does not reflect HS2 Ltd’s target to cut construction carbon emissions by 50% against industry baselines. The Environmental Statement was produced to accompany the then High Speed Rail (London - West Midlands) Bill, and in the 4 years since publication, technological improvements and adoption of best working practices, including the adoption of plant and facilities that do not use fossil-based diesel, will have superseded many of the findings therein.* https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hs2-phase-one-environmental-statement-documents

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Air Pollution

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made representations to HS2 Ltd to support measures to encourage HS2 Ltd's contractors to use 100 per cent renewable diesel to improve air quality on and near those constructions sites.

Andrew Stephenson: Air quality requirements for HS2 are set during the parliamentary stages of the Bills for each phase of the railway. These reflect any relevant legal requirements or wider strategic governmental goals, and build on the air quality impact assessments and conclusions reported in the relevant Environmental Statements. Measures to mitigate air quality effects on Phase One of HS2 are set out in Chapter 7 of the Code of Construction Practice, and in Information Paper E31 (air quality). These measures include emission standards and targets for all Heavy Goods Vehicles and Light Duty Vehicles used in construction, plus best practice measures to control construction site dust. Within that framework, actual decisions on fuel purchases for construction sites and vehicles, are taken by contractors rather than HS2 Ltd. HS2 Ltd is, however, running an innovation project to test a range of biofuels. The findings of this project will help establish the benefits provided by such fuels, and in due course be used to inform contractors’ decisions.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Air Pollution

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of (a) respiratory problems and (b) deaths that may be caused by the air pollution created by the use of fossil diesel in the construction of HS2.

Andrew Stephenson: The Environmental Statements produced for each phase of HS2 include an assessment of any significant air quality effects associated with building the railway. No health problems are anticipated as a result of emissions from the use of fossil diesel in the construction of HS2. As stated at para 4.7 of HS2 Phase One Information Paper E31 (air quality): “Where an effect on air quality [in the relevant Environmental Statement] is described as significant at a particular location, this is with respect to the air quality legislation, and does not denote a significant effect on human health. Much larger changes in air quality than are predicted as a consequence of the scheme would be needed to cause significant impacts on health at the level of an individual person.” https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/672406/E31_-_Air_Quality_v1.5.pdf

High Speed Two: Air Pollution

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government's Clean Air Strategy applies to HS2 Ltd; and what recent representations he has made to HS2 Ltd on its air quality responsibilities.

Andrew Stephenson: Air quality requirements for HS2 are set during the parliamentary stages of the Bills for each phase of the railway. These reflect any relevant legal requirements or wider strategic governmental goals - such as the Clean Air Strategy - and build on the air quality impact assessments and conclusions reported in the relevant Environmental Statements.

Railways: North of England

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the environmental impact of the Transpennine Rail upgrade.

Andrew Stephenson: As with all rail upgrades, our evaluation of the options made through the business case process will consider the long-term benefit of the scheme in terms of its contribution to the Government’s commitment to decarbonize the economy by 2050. Environmental Impact Assessments for the construction itself will be undertaken in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Railways: North of England

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the value for money of the Transpennine Rail upgrade.

Andrew Stephenson: We are currently evaluating a range of different options for the TransPennine Route Upgrade (TRU) which will be selected later this year, informed by the Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands. The value for money of each option varies and it is therefore not possible to be specific at this stage.

Railways: North of England

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the completion date of the Transpennine Rail upgrade.

Andrew Stephenson: We are currently evaluating a range of different options for the TransPennine Route Upgrade (TRU) which will be selected later this year, informed by the Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands. These options range in their delivery date dependent on the option which is eventually chosen.

Railways: North of England

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to make a new assessment of the value for money of the Transpennine Rail upgrade in response to potential estimated revisions to the take-up of public transport as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Andrew Stephenson: We are undertaking analysis in support of the next business case for the TransPennine Route Upgrade which we expect to complete later this year. This will consider different post-COVID-19 demand scenarios.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Green Belt

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to protect Green Belt land during the development of the High Speed Two rail network.

Andrew Stephenson: In designing the HS2 project, we have sought to protect green belt land as much as practicable, and changes to the design have already been made to mitigate this.A range of protection measures are also contained within the HS2 Environmental Minimum Requirements and these have been produced for each phase of the project.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Air Pollution

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions (a) he and (b) HS2 Ltd has had with HS2 Ltd's contractors on their awareness of HS2 Ltd’s environmental obligations on site air quality and pollution.

Andrew Stephenson: HS2 environmental requirements, including with respect to air quality, are embedded into HS2 contractors through their contractual requirements and the project’s Environmental Minimum Requirements. Integrated project teams for delivering Phase One of the railway ensure close working between client and contractor. HS2 contractors are required to be highly aware of, and compliant with, their air quality requirements and have in many cases bettered the project’s rigorous standards through their own environmental leadership.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Air Pollution

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps (a) he and (b) HS2 Ltd is taking to ensure that measurements are taken of the air particulate matter and emissions footprint of HS2 Ltd’s contractors along the route of the Phase One part of that project.

Andrew Stephenson: HS2 air quality requirements form part of the HS2 project’s overall Environmental Minimum Requirements. HS2 Ltd monitor and assure their contractors’ performance with respect to air quality impacts, and provide monthly compliance dashboards to relevant local authorities. High level management information, including any breaches, is also supplied to the Department on a monthly basis. HS2 Ltd also publishes an annual air quality report, which is available at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/monitoring-the-environmental-effects-of-hs2.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Air Pollution

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what (a) obligations and (b) targets relating to air particulate matter and emissions (i) HS2 Ltd and (ii) HS2 Ltd's contractors have under the Government’s Clean Air Strategy.

Andrew Stephenson: Air quality requirements for HS2 are set during the parliamentary stages of the Bills for each phase of the railway. These reflect any relevant legal requirements or wider strategic governmental goals, and build on the air quality impact assessments and conclusions reported in the relevant Environmental Statements. Measures to mitigate air quality effects on Phase One of HS2 are set out in Chapter 7 of the Code of Construction Practice, and in Information Paper E31 (air quality). These measures include emission standards and targets for all Heavy Goods Vehicles and Light Duty Vehicles used in construction, plus best practice measures to control construction site dust. HS2 Ltd’s Air Quality Strategy, monthly monitoring reports and annual air quality reports can be found online at www.gov.uk/government/collections/monitoring-the-environmental-effects-of-hs2. HS2 Ltd is also leading on a wide range of innovations to trial and roll out a range of low and zero emission plant and machinery on sites. Further information can be found in the published case studies online at www.hs2.org.uk/building-hs2/hs2-environment-facts/hs2-and-air-quality/.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Air Pollution

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what environmental impact assessment his Department has made of the (a) fuel choices of HS2 Ltd for it's construction sites and (b) use by HS2 Ltd of fossil-based diesel for it's heavy plant and transport.

Andrew Stephenson: The HS2 Environmental Statements contain reasonable worst-case assessments of the air quality and carbon impacts of the scheme, using assumptions about emissions that reflect the standards adopted by the project. Controls are in place to ensure that any significant effects reported in the Environmental Statements are not exceeded. Within that framework, actual decisions on fuel purchases for construction sites and vehicles, are taken by contractors rather than HS2 Ltd. HS2 Ltd is, however, running an innovation project to test a range of biofuels. The findings of this project will help establish the benefits provided by such fuels, and in due course be used to inform contractors’ decisions.

Railways: Tickets

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the rail network moving to cashless on people without the ability to go cashless.

Chris Heaton-Harris: We want to modernise the way passengers buy and pay for their rail travel to improve accessibility and enable a smoother purchasing and journey experience. As we do this people will naturally migrate to using smart ticketing, contactless cards and buying online at their own convenience. During the COVID-19 crisis these methods of buying and paying for travel have been important in supporting the health and safety of passengers and station staff. Before there is any move to remove paper ticketing or cash payments we would need to ensure passengers who are dependent on cash payments or do not have access to the internet or a smartphone can continue to purchase train tickets as readily as they can do today.

Merchant Shipping: Crew

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many merchant seamen from the UK have been (a) trained and (b) employed as merchant seamen in each of the last five years.

Robert Courts: The Department for Transport openly publishes statistics on seafarers in the UK shipping industry annually which are available on the maritime and shipping statistics pages of the .gov website. The Department does not collect data on maritime apprenticeships.

Vaccination: Certification

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how the Government will ensure the interoperability of any vaccine certificate system with other similar national and international systems.

Robert Courts: The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that any future vaccine certification system is interoperable and flexible enough to meet international standards. We are actively engaged both bilaterally with other states and multilaterally through organisations including the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) to support this work.

Railways: Social Distancing

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2021 to Question 164599, what steps he has taken since schools reopened on 8 March 2021 to ensure social distancing on the rail network.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2021 to Question 164599, what assessment he has made of the effect of schools reopening on 8 March 2021 on the rail network.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department has worked closely with the Department for Education, Network Rail, the train operating companies and Sir Peter Hendy to assess transport operators’ preparedness ahead of schools re-opening on 8 March; no significant concerns were identified. No significant issues have been seen on the rail network since schools returned although operators continue to monitor passenger flows.

Railways: Disability

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to raise awareness of the hidden disabilities sunflower lanyard and badge scheme for use on the rail network.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Government is committed to encouraging more disabled people to use the railway as their first choice of transport, and supports the Sunflower Lanyard and Card scheme to enable people with non-visible disabilities to discreetly make staff aware they may need extra help or time on their journey and to travel with confidence. Every operator across England, Scotland and Wales has signed up to the Sunflower scheme. As travel restrictions begin to be eased, the rail industry will continue to deliver passenger assistance where needed and use products, like the Sunflower Card/Lanyard, to give confidence to those customers who wish to use them.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Iron and Steel

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the level of UK-produced steel procured by his Department and associated departmental public bodies and agencies in 2019-20 and 2020-21.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Government is working with the steel industry, the unions and devolved administrations to support the UK steel sector to develop a long-term sustainable future. We are working hard to make sure that UK producers of steel have the best possible chance of competing for and winning contracts across all Government procurement. BEIS collates and publishes annually information on how much steel is purchased for Government’s major infrastructure projects in the previous financial year, including what proportion is UK-produced. We have collated the 2019/20 data and expect to publish later this year. We will start collating the data on UK steel procured in 2020/21 in due course.

Employment: Domestic Abuse

Imran Ahmad Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to encourage businesses in (a) Wakefield constituency and (b) West Yorkshire to sign the Employers' Initiative on Domestic Abuse.

Paul Scully: As recognised in our report from January this year, employers can play a key role in supporting their employees if they are victims of Domestic Abuse, including working with other employers to break the silence on domestic abuse. I am proud to promote membership of the Employers Initiative on Domestic Abuse to employers in Wakefield, West Yorkshire and all across the country. I have recently done this through an open letter to employers. I welcome the support and interest from my Hon. Friend on this important agenda, and hope that he will continue to encourage businesses in his local area to take action.

Restart Grant Scheme: West Yorkshire

Imran Ahmad Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to promote the Coronavirus Restart Grant to eligible businesses based in (a) Wakefield and (b) West Yorkshire.

Paul Scully: Guidance for the Restart Grant scheme was published on the 17th March for both Local Authorities and businesses. This guidance sets out the funding and eligibility criteria for businesses. The Government is working closely with Local Authorities to ensure that Restart Grant schemes are set up and operational for April.

Energy Supply

Imran Ahmad Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that utility companies have provided support to people on the Priority Services Register during the covid-19 outbreak.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) works closely with electricity and gas companies, the regulator Ofgem and other stakeholders to ensure that the appropriate measures are in place to protect customers, especially the most vulnerable. During the COVID-19 outbreak, electricity and gas network operators reviewed and modified their working practices to comply with the Safer Working Guidance published by the Government. They also carried out targeted engagement with their most vulnerable customers to update them on changes to processes, and provide assurance that essential services remain available. Additionally, the Department secured a voluntary agreement with energy companies in March 2020 to support all households impacted by Covid-19, requiring suppliers to support those struggling with their energy bills and to take action to keep them on supply. This is available online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-agrees-measures-with-energy-industry-to-support-vulnerable-people-through-covid-19.

Energy Supply: Wakefield

Imran Ahmad Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many people are registered on the Priority Services Register in Wakefield constituency.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Electricity network operators are obliged to maintain a Priority Services Register (PSR) to ensure the correct support is given to the most vulnerable customers. Each network operator maintains its own register and shares this information with energy suppliers. Northern Power Grid, the network operator responsible for operating and maintaining the electricity distribution network in North East England, has 27,709 properties on the PSR within the postcodes covered by the Wakefield constituency.

Members: Correspondence

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to reply to the joint letter from the Rt hon. Members for Camberwell and Peckham, and Romsey and Southampton North, sent electronically on 4 February 2021, on a timetable for the Government's proposed Employment Bill.

Paul Scully: I wrote to the Rt. Hon. Members on 10 March outlining the Government’s position on the Employment Bill, which will be brought forward when Parliamentary time allows.

Greensill: Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme

Pat McFadden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether Greensill Capital is still an accredited lender under the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Scully: While the British Business Bank looks into Greensill’s position, it is not able to originate new lending that benefits from a Government guarantee.

Greensill: Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme

Pat McFadden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when Greensill Capital became an accredited lender under the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Scully: Greensill Capital was approved by the British Business Bank in June last year to provide finance through the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme.

Lime: UK Emissions Trading Scheme

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will (a) bring forward the review of the UK ETS benchmark for lime production and (b) instruct that the benchmark be based on plants in the UK.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: As stated in the Government Response to the Consultation on The Future of UK Carbon Pricing, as part of the Free Allocation Review, we will be looking at possible future changes to benchmarks used within the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS). The review will consider which benchmarks could be best suited for the UK ETS. A call for evidence was launched on 17 March as part of the review and is currently live.

Lime: EU Emissions Trading Scheme

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of (a) the impact on the UK lime industry of adopting the EU ETS Phase IV benchmark for lime, (b) the applicability and effectiveness of that EU benchmark for the UK lime industry, and (c) whether carbon reduction to meet that benchmark is achievable with currently available technology.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: As stated in the Government Response to the Consultation on The Future of UK Carbon Pricing, initially the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS) will use Phase IV EU ETS benchmarks. This ensures continuity for participants for the 2021 launch, ensures that benchmarks are based on sufficiently broad sets of data, and ensures free allocation is awarded on a comparable basis to EU counterparts. As part of the Free Allocation Review, we will be looking at possible future changes to benchmarks used within the UK ETS. The Review will consider which benchmarks could be best suited for the UK ETS. A call for evidence was launched on 17 March as part of the review and is currently live.

Fossil Fuels: Exploration

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has plans to ban the issue new oil and gas exploration licences; and what impact assessment he has carried out on the potential merits of a ban on the issuance of new licences.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The Department has conducted a review into the future of offshore oil and gas licensing, which has concluded that a new climate compatibility checkpoint will be introduced into the regime. This will help ensure that any future licenses are only awarded on the basis that they are aligned with the government’s broad climate change ambitions, including the UK’s target of reaching net zero by 2050. I refer the Hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made by my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 24th March 2021 (Official Report, HCWS879), announcing the implementation of a new checkpoint into the licensing round process. As we move towards net-zero, oil and gas will play a smaller role in meeting UK energy demand. However, it will continue to play an important one. The independent Climate Change Committee has recognised the ongoing demand for oil and natural gas, including it in all scenarios it proposed for how the UK meets its target for achieving net zero emissions by 2050. A climate compatibility checkpoint will allow for an orderly transition, underpinned by oil and gas, while the sector continues to bear down on its production emissions, and pivots to support the energy transition.

Regional Planning and Development

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which sectors (a) his Department and (b) HM Treasury plan to consider in the development of Sector Visions as outlined in the Plan for Growth.

Nadhim Zahawi: As set out in ‘Build Back Better: our plan for growth’, over the next 12 months the Government will work to develop visions for high growth sectors that will help shape the UK’s future and build on our existing competitive advantage and strengths in innovation. The specific sectors will be set out in the coming months.

Debt Relief Orders

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many Debt Relief Order applications have been (a) accepted and (b) rejected by the Insolvency Service in each year since 2015.

Paul Scully: The table below provides a summary of Debt Relief Order (DRO) applications that have been accepted and rejected in each financial year since 2015/16, as of 23rd March 2021. Accepted DRO applications can later be revoked. Revocation of a DRO occurs where information subsequently comes to light that the individual:did not qualify for a DRO at the time the order was made.no longer qualified for a DRO during the one-year moratorium period.  DRO applications, rejections and revocations1st April 2015 to 23rd March 2021YearDRO Applications acceptedDRO Applications rejectedDRO Applications revoked2015/1624,922963012016/1725,593822752017/1824,969662122018/1928,085862512019/2027,434622902020/21 to date17,26549266Revoked DROs are presented in the table based on their revocation date which may not be the same period in which the application was accepted. The Insolvency Service’s published DRO statistics exclude all accepted DROs that have later been revoked. The Insolvency Service’s latest National Statistics publication on DROs can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/individual-insolvency-statistics-october-to-december-2020.

Debt Relief Orders

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the unit cost incurred by the Insolvency Service is to process an application for a Debt Relief Order.

Paul Scully: The unit cost for processing Debt Relief Order applications varies according to case volumes in any given financial year due to the costs being a mix of fixed and variable costs. Using the costs for the financial year 2019/2020 and the costs for the current financial year to the end of February, the average unit cost of a Debt Relief Order application is £88.81

Hallmarking

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to develop a UK hallmark.

Paul Scully: The UK already has four unique and internationally-recognised hallmarks representing the four UK Assay Offices: London, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Sheffield.

Weddings: Coronavirus

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with representatives of the UK Weddings Taskforce on the potential (a) job losses in the wedding industry and (b) effect on women working in that industry of its operation at a restricted capacity until 21 June 2021 following the Government's announcement of the covid-19 roadmap.

Paul Scully: I meet regularly with the industry-led Weddings Taskforce, established to represent all parts of the UK Weddings sector, to understand the impact on jobs and businesses. We regularly discuss the sector’s financial position and the companies’ preparations for reopening, in line with the Government’s “Covid-19 Response – Spring 2021” roadmap.

Weddings: Coronavirus

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of restricting wedding ceremonies to places of places of worship and some public buildings during the covid-19 outbreak from 12 April 2021 on (a) cancellation and postponement rates and (b) jobs throughout the supply chain.

Paul Scully: Wedding or civil partnership ceremonies can take place in licensed venues that are not expressly required to close under the COVID-19 Regulations. From Step 2, which will be no earlier than 12 April, ceremonies may also take place in venues which are permitted to open for the purposes of providing unrestricted services. This includes any purpose-built wedding venue where that is its sole purpose, and it is not also a hospitality venue or visitor attraction.Further information can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-small-marriages-and-civil-partnerships/covid-19-guidance-for-small-marriages-and-civil-partnerships.I meet regularly with the industry-led Weddings Taskforce, established to represent a wide range of interests in the weddings sector in England, to understand the impact of the pandemic on jobs and businesses.

Weddings: Females

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions officials in his Department have had with women working in the wedding sector during the covid-19 outbreak.

Paul Scully: I meet regularly with the industry-led Weddings Taskforce, established to represent all parts of the UK Weddings sector, to understand the impact on jobs and businesses, including on women who work in the sector.

Bounce Back Loan Scheme

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to (a) tackle Bounce Back Loan Scheme fraud and (b) help ensure that loans under that scheme are provided to businesses based on (i) need, (ii) long-term viability and (iii) potential repayment ability.

Paul Scully: As part of the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) application process, lenders undertake fraud checks, including Know Your Customer and Anti Money Laundering checks as required. In addition, the application form is clear – any individual who knowingly provides false information is at risk of criminal prosecution. We are working across Departments, along with lenders and law enforcement agencies to tackle fraudulent abuse of the scheme. The borrower is required to self-declare that they meet the eligibility criteria for the scheme and are required to state whether they understand the costs associated with the repayment of the loan. They must also confirm that they are able, and intend to, complete timely repayments in future. Furthermore, the maximum facility size for any business borrowing under BBLS is subject to affordability limits specific to each business.

Greensill: Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme

Pat McFadden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will list the amount and recipient of each loan made by Greensill Capital under the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme.

Paul Scully: Details of facilities made available under the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme will be published where required via the European Commission’s Transparency Aid Module.

Africa: Research

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of early career researchers across the continent of Africa who will lose funding due to changes to the Future Leaders - African Independent Research (FLAIR) programme.

Amanda Solloway: The challenging financial situation we face due to the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a temporary reduction in the UK’s aid spending target from 0.7% of GNI to 0.5%. This means making difficult decisions when it comes to prioritising how we spend aid money to deliver the most impactful outcomes. BEIS is working with its ODA Delivery Partners to manage the implementation of the 21/22 ODA settlement for R&D; this includes the Royal Society who run the FLAIR programme.

Clothing: Manufacturing Industries

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans the Government has to establish a judge-led public inquiry into Leicester’s garment industry.

Paul Scully: We are engaging with the sector to understand the systemic issues that lead to non-compliance and what measures could be used to tackle them. I have met with the British Retail Consortium to discuss the issues in the sector and will be holding a roundtable with their members to further discuss potential solutions. We also look forward to seeing the outcomes of work between the enforcement agencies and retailers as part of the work of the Apparel and General Merchandise Public/Private Protocol, a partnership between the enforcement agencies and industry partners, including NGOs, sector bodies and brands, aimed at tackling labour exploitation in the garment industry.

Clothing: Manufacturing Industries

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps his Department has taken to enable and support overseas workers who are victims of corporate harm in the supply chain of UK fashion brands to access remedy via UK courts.

Paul Scully: Whether an overseas worker would be able to access remedy against a UK company in the courts of England and Wales or an employment tribunal would depend on a number of different factors, including whether the court or tribunal has territorial jurisdiction, the nature of the employment relationship, and what right the claimant is asserting under UK law. This would be assessed on a case-by-case basis. The UK government has an extensive history of funding organisations such as the Ethical Trading Initiative who proactively support worker representation, freedom of association and collective bargaining. This support has led to direct remediation of labour rights violations for vulnerable workers, including dismissal for joining a union.

Overseas Workers: EU Countries

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress has been made on agreeing to new visa arrangements, whether bilaterally or with individual EU states, for UK residents who carry out short-term contracts in the EU.

Paul Scully: The Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) is the basis of our trading relations with the EU, and this is not going to be re-negotiated. Commitments in the TCA provide certainty and clarity for those who travel to another country temporarily to do business. For example, the TCA guarantees market access to key economic sectors, and eases some burdens on business travellers, such as: removing the need for work permits for some short-term trips and reducing the number of economic needs tests a country could impose to block access to exporters. They also ensure that the UK and EU Member States have a minimum standard for how business travellers and service providers should be treated when working abroad through non-discrimination clauses. The end of freedom of movement between the UK and the EU will inevitably have some consequences for cross-border business travel, and we are engaging regularly with businesses to help them understand the new requirements for travel to the EU. We have published guidance on GOV.UK to help those intending to travel to the EU, EEA and Switzerland for work or other business purposes. The Government will continue to enhance this guidance and to engage with our embassies to better understand the requirements in Member States, on behalf of UK businesses. We respect the right of individual Member States to determine their own immigration policies. Here in the UK, we have adopted a global immigration system that treats EU and non-EU citizens equally.

Department of Health and Social Care

Dental Services: Bureaucracy

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department’s plans are for reducing bureaucracy in dentistry by giving the General Dental Council more discretion to assess the qualifications of overseas dentists in line with the powers used by the General Medical Council.

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what changes are being made to the Overseas Registration Exam used to assess the dental qualifications of dentists who are trained outside the EEA.

Jo Churchill: The Department is working with the General Dental Council on legislative proposals which will allow it greater flexibility to expand and improve on the registration options open to international applicants, which includes the Overseas Registration Exam. We aim to launch a public consultation on these proposals later this year.

Coronavirus: Coronavirus and Nurseries

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 16 March 2021 to Question 164605 and 164606 on Coronavirus: Children's Centres and Nurseries, whether he had specific discussions at those meetings on workers in nurseries and children's centres.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 16 March 2021 to Question 164605 and 164606 oon Coronavirus: Children's Centres and Nurseries, if he will publish the dates of those meetings.

Jo Churchill: The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care met with the Secretary of State for Education to discuss the Government’s response to COVID-19 on 7 December 2020, 30 December 2020 and 10 February 2021. A range of matters related to the pandemic and its impact on the education sector were discussed.

Dental Services

Selaine Saxby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of continuing routine dental care provided on an ongoing basis by dentists on the protection and promotion good oral health.

Selaine Saxby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to promote ongoing, routine preventative dental care to protect people's oral health.

Jo Churchill: Public Health England have published the guidance ‘Delivering better oral health - an evidence-based toolkit for prevention’, for dental teams to support preventive advice and treatment for their patients. The toolkit includes evidence-based advice and treatment that dentists and their teams can use to support their patients to help prevent tooth decay, gum disease, mouth cancer and tooth wear. This toolkit is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/delivering-better-oral-health-an-evidence-based-toolkit-for-prevention The dental contract reform programme has been piloting new contract models to better incentivise preventative and restorative treatments. The Department will publish an evaluation of the programme this summer and based on the learning, NHS England and NHS Improvement will take forward the design of proposals to protect and improve oral health.

Coronavirus: Inquiries

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it Government policy to undertake an inquiry into the disproportionate effect of covid-19 on BAME, migrant and low-income workers.

Jo Churchill: We have no plans to do so. The Minister for Equalities (Kemi Badenoch MP) is leading cross-Government work to understand the disparities in the risks and outcomes from COVID-19 among the black, Asian and minority ethnic community and the relationships between the different risk factors.Her first quarterly progress report concluded that a range of socioeconomic and geographical factors coupled with pre-existing health conditions were contributing to the higher infection and mortality rates for ethnic minority groups. The report can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/quarterly-report-on-progress-to-address-covid-19-health-inequalitiesFindings of the second quarterly progress report included the role of deprivation in the unequal impact of COVID-19 which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/second-quarterly-report-on-progress-to-address-covid-19-health-inequalities/second-quarterly-report-on-progress-to-address-covid-19-health-inequalitiesTackling deprivation will be the focus of the third quarterly progress report. The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities has been set up to explore issues faced by ethnic minorities in this country and the challenges identified in the COVID-19 response is a key part of the Commission’s work, which is due to report shortly.

National Institute for Health Protection

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made in establishing the National Institute for Health Protection as a replacement for Public Health England.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has for the role of National Institute for Health Protection in public health; how that role will differ from the role currently performed by Public Health England; and what the body’s Key Performance Indicators will be.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what organisational change in public health he has identified as necessary to prepare for future pandemics.

Jo Churchill: As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement of 24 March (HCWS884), from 1 April, we will formally establish the new United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA). The UKHSA will be the country’s permanent standing capacity to prepare for, prevent and respond to threats to health.While Public Health England’s remit has spanned both health protection and health improvement, the UKHSA will be focused entirely on planning for, preventing and responding to the risk of future infectious disease pandemics and other major health threats. The UKHSA will work with partners around the world, lead the UK’s global contribution to global health protection research and hold responsibility for health security scientific capabilities including those at Porton Down and Colindale.The transition of responsibilities and capabilities from Public Health England and NHS Test and Trace into the new Agency will take place over the coming months, with the UKHSA fully operational from October 2021. Key performance metrics for the UKHSA will be determined as part of this transition.

Cancer: Nurses

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding plans he has to ensure an adequate number of nurses are in place to deliver the targets for cancer set out in the NHS Long Term Plan.

Jo Churchill: The National Health Service in England is continuing to increase the Cancer Nurse Specialist (CNS) workforce. Health Education England is offering training grants for 350 nurses to become CNS and chemotherapy nurses. The NHS People Plan also commits to extending cancer support-worker training which will further increase the capacity of CNS already in post.The Spending Review 2020 will also provide £260 million to continue to increase the NHS workforce and support commitments made in the NHS Long Term Plan. Full details on funding allocations in 2021-22, including for the NHS cancer workforce and cancer diagnostics, will be subject to a detailed financial planning exercise and finalised in due course.

Heart Diseases: Children and Young People

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans to introduce a national strategy to help prevent young sudden cardiac death.

Jo Churchill: The United Kingdom National Screening Committee has not recommended the adoption of a national screening approach in 12 to 39 year olds. NHS England and Improvement has published a national service specification for inherited cardiac conditions, covering patients of all ages who often present as young adults with previously undiagnosed cardiac disease or those requiring follow up due to a death in their family from this cause

Dental Services: Registration

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the ability of dental practices to de-register patients as a result of inactivity without giving notice to the patient.

Jo Churchill: Continuous registration with dental practices is no longer required and patients are only registered with a dental practice during the course of their treatment. This differs from registration with a general practitioner surgery, as dental practices are not bound to a catchment area. In circumstances where patients are unable to access an urgent dental appointment directly through a National Health Service dental practice, they should contact NHS 111 for assistance.

Prostate Cancer: Screening

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a screening programme for prostate cancer for people over 50.

Jo Churchill: The United Kingdom National Screening Committee UK NSC) reviewed the evidence during the consultation of prostate cancer screening in men over the age of 50 years old in 2020 and recommended that a population screening programme should not be introduced.The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test is not accurate enough to detect the aggressive prostate cancers that need treatment. It can identify men as having prostate cancer when in fact they do not and miss some aggressive cancers. Many men may then undergo unnecessary tests and treatments and risk long term health problems. It is still not clear whether other tests such as a magnetic resonance imaging scan, with or without the PSA, are accurate enough.

General Practitioners: Centene

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of GP surgeries owned by Centene corporation in England; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Churchill: Most general practitioner (GP) practices are private partnerships that hold contracts with NHS England and NHS Improvement to provide primary medical services. Centene Corporation does not own any GP surgeries in England. It is the owner of Operose Health Ltd.’s holding companies. The current total estimated number of GP practice contracts held by Operose Health is 58.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of covid-19 vaccines administered to date were manufactured by Oxford Astra Zeneca; and what information his Department holds on the number of people who have received that vaccine who have since reported serious blood clotting.

Nadhim Zahawi: As of 14 March, an estimated 13.7 million doses of the Oxford /AstraZeneca vaccine have been administered. As of the same date, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has received 187 reports of blood clots reported in temporal association with the vaccine.Such reports are not proven side effects of the vaccine. Blood clots can occur naturally and are not uncommon and this number is not greater than would have occurred naturally in the vaccinated population.

Oral Cancer: Diagnosis

Selaine Saxby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of the disruption to routine dentistry as a result of the covid-19 outbreak on the early detection of oral cancers.

Jo Churchill: No such assessment has been made. Dentists play an ad hoc role in detecting oral cancers as a by-product of dental check-ups. However, oral cancer is primarily detected through the medical system. Patients with concerns about changes in their mouth should seek advice from their general practitioner and not wait for their next dental appointment.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many covid-19 vaccine doses have been (a) supplied to and (b) delivered by, each CCG in England.

Nadhim Zahawi: For security reasons it is not possible to provide detailed information concerning the number of how many COVID-19 vaccine doses have been supplied to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs).Since 14 January NHS England has published weekly regional data of doses administered. This data now includes the number of vaccinations by CCG of residence and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-vaccinations/

Dental Services: Private Sector

Selaine Saxby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to support the private dentistry sector to recover from the effect of the covid-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: Dentists who meet the criteria can access the full range of HM Treasury support for their private earnings. Self-employed dentists who have met the criteria have been eligible for the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme which will continue until September, with a fourth and fifth grant. Dentists who receive a salary through a Pay As You Earn scheme may be eligible for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which has also been extended until September. In addition, a new United Kingdom-wide Recovery Loan Scheme will help businesses of all sizes through the next stage of recovery.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce (a) disposal rates of and (b) the number of missed appointments for covid-19 vaccines.

Nadhim Zahawi: No vaccine should be wasted. All vaccination centres should have a backup list of people in the eligible cohorts who can be called in case doses would be wasted. If no members of the currently vaccinated cohorts are available, it is recommended that members of the next priority cohorts be vaccinated. In the extremely exceptional case where this is not possible, locally available people can be vaccinated based on clinical judgement.To maximise the likelihood that appointments will be attended, the National Booking Service is available for members of the public to book at convenient times and locations.

Coronavirus: Employment

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department is providing to clinically extremely vulnerable people who have been unable to work from home and will be returning to their workplace once shielding pauses on 31 March 2021.

Jo Churchill: On 17 March the Government issued a letter to all clinically extremely vulnerable people on the Shielded Patient List, containing guidance about the changes from 1 April and the support available.All employers are required to take steps to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace and should be able to explain what measures they have put in place to keep their employees safe at work. The Health and Safety Executive has also published guidance on protecting vulnerable workers, including advice for employers and employees on how to talk about reducing risks in the workplace.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the relative proportions of Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, as a proportion of total vaccine supply, being distributed (a) to regions within England and (b) to the devolved nations, are the same.

Nadhim Zahawi: The proportion of Pfizer-BioNTech to Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines may vary between sites/regions due to logistical imperatives such as storage and wider national supply.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Imran Ahmad Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people whose covid-19 vaccinations have been cancelled as a result of severe weather conditions will be prioritised for new appointments.

Nadhim Zahawi: Anyone whose COVID-19 vaccinations were cancelled as a result of severe weather conditions will be prioritised for new appointments. They will be contacted by the National Booking Service by letter, text or phone call and given the option to re book their appointment either online or by calling 119.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on involving local authorities in the rollout of covid-19 vaccines.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has discussions on a wide range of issues with his Ministerial counterparts, including the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.As key partners in integrated care systems and sustainability and transformation partnerships, local authorities are closely involved in supporting the vaccine deployment programme. This includes the selection of sites for vaccination centres; critical partnership working to manage vaccinating in care homes; local communications on vaccine messaging; and engaging with vulnerable or disproportionately impacted groups.

NHS: Dental Services

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress has been made on increasing access to NHS dentistry.

Jo Churchill: The Department is working closely with NHS England and NHS Improvement and the Chief Dental Officer for England to increase levels of service, as fast as is safely possible. On 29 March we announced that the threshold for full National Health Service contractual payment would be raised to 60% of normal activity, whilst keeping in place income protection for practices where infection control is particularly challenging. We continue to explore what more can be done to increase capacity including piloting pre-appointment testing.

Vaccination: Recruitment

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many vaccinators have been recruited for the covid-19 vaccination rollout to date; and how many of those vaccinators are currently distributing vaccines.

Nadhim Zahawi: The National Health Service has so far recruited over 13,000 newly trained vaccinators from NHS Professionals who are either starting their local on-boarding or will shortly be invited to do so and over 19,516 volunteer vaccinators from St John Ambulance. These are in addition to the 71,400 full-time equivalent existing NHS staff supporting the COVID-19 vaccination programme. The number of newly recruited vaccinators increases on a weekly basis.

Gambling: Internet

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on public health of limiting the speed of play on online gambling products.

Jo Churchill: No such assessment has been made. The Department continues to work collaboratively with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport supporting their comprehensive review of the Gambling Act 2005, ensuring the regulatory framework is fit for purpose and protecting children and vulnerable people from gambling-related harms.

Mental Health: Charities

Imran Ahmad Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department is providing to mental health charities in (a) Wakefield constituency and (b) West Yorkshire.

Ms Nadine Dorries: This information is not held centrally.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Air Pollution

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Transport and (b) HS2 Ltd on (i) ensuring acceptable air quality levels on that project and (ii) respiratory health support for affected communities and site workers.

Jo Churchill: While there have been no specific discussions, HS2 Ltd has a rigorous occupational health process setting requirements and promoting innovations, to further reduce emissions from construction machinery and vehicles and the impact on communities and reducing workforce exposure.

Infant Mortality: Multiple Births

Giles Watling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that maternity units implement the recommendations in the MBRRACE Perinatal Confidential Enquiry into stillbirths and neonatal deaths in twin pregnancies.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Through the Maternity Transformation Programme, a range of interventions are being implemented to support the delivery of maternity and neonatal care according to clinical guidelines, as recommended in the MBRRACE Perinatal Confidential Enquiry into stillbirths and neonatal deaths in twin pregnancies, and to improve perinatal outcomes.Every National Health Service maternity service is actively implementing elements of the Saving Babies Lives Care Bundle which sets out specific care pathways that can affect twin/multiple pregnancies including prevention of fetal growth restriction and preterm birth. Multidisciplinary fetal medicine clinics are being established across England, which aim to ensure that high risk women have timely access to specialist advice and care at all stages of pregnancy.

Epilepsy: Pregnancy

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the publication of the Commission on Human Medicines' report, Epilepsy Medicines in Pregnancy on 7 January 2021, what plans he has to ensure greater awareness among health professionals of the risk of physical and neurodevelopmental harm associated with the use of many anti-epileptic drugs taken in pregnancy.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The conclusions of the Commission on Human Medicines’ safety review were communicated publicly to support decisions around the best treatment options for girls and women. These communications were issued via the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) Drug Safety Update bulletin, an accompanying public assessment report and a patient safety leaflet. A news release and social media accompanied the publication alongside email alerts that targeted relevant healthcare professionals, prescribing publications and professional organisations. The MHRA is working with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Association of British Neurologists to update relevant clinical guidance to reflect the findings of the review. The impact of this review and the uptake of January communications will be monitored and consideration will be given to the need for further communication with healthcare professionals.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on the rollout of a covid-19 mental health recovery strategy for children and young people.

Ms Nadine Dorries: During November 2020, we published our Wellbeing and Mental Health Support Plan for COVID-19, which set out the support available for individuals, including children and young people. The Government will publish an action plan setting out further measures to respond to and mitigate the impacts on mental health of COVID-19 across the population, including children and young people, in due course.

Coronavirus: Children

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many school age children have been diagnosed with symptoms of long covid to date in (a) Leicester East constituency and (b) England.

Ms Nadine Dorries: There has been no specific assessment of the prevalence of ‘long’ COVID-19 in children.

Epilepsy: Pregnancy

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to extend the MHRA and NHS Digital Medicines in Pregnancy Valproate Registry to include all anti-epileptic drugs.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Medicines in Pregnancy Valproate Registry will be used as a platform for building a data collection for all girls and women prescribed any anti-epileptic drugs in pregnancy. This has been prioritised within the next phase of development. We will shortly bring forward legislation to support the implementation of medicines registries across the healthcare network and to improve systematic collection of data.

Coronavirus: Research

Dr James Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support research into long covid.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department, through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), launched a £20 million joint research call which closed on 9 December 2020. This call will fund comprehensive research to understand and address the longer term physical and mental health effects of COVID-19 in individuals who contracted the virus but were not hospitalised. Results of the call will be published in due course.The NIHR and UKRI have already invested £8.5 million in the PHOSP-COVID study led by the University of Leicester. The study is one of the world’s largest comprehensive research studies into the long-term physical and mental health impacts of COVID-19 on hospitalised patients and will draw on expertise from a consortium of leading researchers and doctors from across the United Kingdom.

Eating Disorders: Mental Health Services

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time for psychological treatment for an eating disorder was in (a) 2010, (b) 2019 and (c) 2020.

Ms Nadine Dorries: We do not collect the data in the format requested.

Epilepsy: Pregnancy

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report published by MBRRACE entitled Saving lives, improving mothers' care, what data his Department holds on the number of (a) women that die from Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy and (b) children (i) exposed to and (ii) affected by sodium valproate in pregnancy.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The information requested is not held centrally.

NHS: Dental Services

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care,  how many dental practices are open to new (a) adult and (b) child NHS patients in (i) Bolton and (ii) England as at 23 March 2021.

Jo Churchill: Over 6,000 National Health Service dental practices in England have been able to see patients face to face since 8 June 2020.In Bolton there are currently 30 NHS dental practices, of which six are operating as urgent dental providers, receiving referrals for any patients who require urgent treatment as well as referrals for looked after children.

Eating Disorders: Mental Health Services

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the recommendation on the introduction of waiting time targets for adult eating disorder services in the report of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, Ignoring the Alarms follow-up: Too many avoidable deaths from eating disorders, published in June 2019,  HC 855 2017-19, for what reason such waiting time targets have not been introduced.

Ms Nadine Dorries: A four-week waiting standard for adult community mental health services, including eating disorder services, is being piloted and considered as part of the clinically led review of National Health Service access standards. It is expected that NHS England and NHS Improvement will share further information on the definition of a potential standard in 2021/22.

Learning Disability: Nurses

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) effect of the shortage of learning disability nurses on the inappropriate use of Do not resuscitate notices for people with learning disabilities and (b) level of recruitment for learning disability nurses in NHS posts.

Helen Whately: We have made no such assessment.

Eating Disorders: Health Services

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many outpatient referrals for eating disorders the NHS has (a) received and (b) accepted in each year since 2010.

Ms Nadine Dorries: This information is not held in the format requested. NHS Digital has advised that the data collected does not distinguish between outpatient and inpatient referrals, nor does it differentiate between received and accepted referrals.

Disability: Children

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the finding of the report by the Disabled Children’s Partnership, entitled The longest lockdown, that three in 10 of families with disabled children felt their child had depression as a result of delays to routine health appointments during the covid-19 outbreak, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the effect of that outbreak on disabled children’s mental health and emotional wellbeing.

Helen Whately: On 23 November 2020 we published a Wellbeing and Mental Health Support Plan for COVID-19, setting out the steps we have taken to strengthen the support available during the pandemic, including for disabled children. On 5 March 2021, we announced that £79 million, will be used to significantly expand mental health services for children, including disabled children. This additional funding will allow around 22,500 more children and young people to access community health services and enable a faster increase in the coverage of mental health support teams in schools and colleges over the next financial year. Additionally, NHS England and NHS Improvement have been clear that services for disabled children with an Education, Health and Care plan should be fully restored.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to use the recently announced £79 million in funding for mental health support for children and young people to meet the needs of disabled children and their families.

Ms Nadine Dorries: No funding has been specifically allocated to support the mental health needs of disabled children and their families.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending support bubble arrangements to grieving households of any size during periods of national lockdown since covid-19 regulations were last revised.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Although limiting social contact is critical to halting the spread of the virus, the Government recognises the challenges caused by the current lockdown measures, particularly for those who are grieving. We have therefore put in place support bubbles to help those who are at risk of isolation by the restrictions. Those who are grieving may be eligible to form a support bubble, for example, if they live alone or are a single parent. They are also able to access bereavement support groups, including in person where necessary.

Continuing Care

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of Continuing Health Care assessments that are outstanding as a result of the six-month suspension imposed in response to the covid-19 outbreak.

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the additional resources required to ensure that outstanding Continuing Health Care assessments are undertaken in a timely manner in accordance with the statutory guidance.

Helen Whately: As of 14 March 2021, there were just under 3,000 assessments outstanding from the period when NHS Continuing Healthcare (NHS CHC) assessments were not required, as a result of the legislation implemented due to the pandemic. Funding from the COVID-19 hospital discharge scheme was made available in order to support the National Health Service and social care to undertake the NHS CHC deferred assessments and colleagues continue to make excellent progress towards completion of the deferred assessments.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether additional funding has been allocated to children and adolescent mental health services in (a) Bolton and (b) England as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Information on any additional funding allocated to children and young people’s mental health services serving Bolton is not held centrally. On 5 March 2021 the Government announced £79 million of additional funding for children and young people’s mental health. This will be used to significantly expand children’s mental health services in England and will allow around 22,500 more children and young people to access community health services and 2,000 more children and young people to access eating disorder services.

Suicide

James Daly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what financial support is available to local authorities and CCG’s to assist families affected by suicide.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Under the NHS Long Term Plan, we have set out our plans to invest £57 million to support local suicide prevention plans and establish suicide bereavement support services in all areas of England by 2023/24. We have committed that all local systems will have suicide bereavement support services providing timely and appropriate support to families and staff by 2023/24 and have provided funding to 40% of local systems in 2020/21 for them to establish and deliver such services.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his announcement of 5 March 2021 at the Downing Street briefing on covid-19 on additional funding to provide mental health support for children and young people, what plans he has to allocate some of that additional funding to help reduce waiting list times for patients on child and adolescent mental health services' referral lists.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The £79 million of additional funding announced on 5 March 2021 will be used to significantly expand children’s mental health services and will allow around 22,500 more children and young people to access community health services. This will enable community mental health services to provide more children and young people more timely care.

Social Services: Pay

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Supreme Court judgement in the case of Royal Mencap Society v Tomlinson-Blake, whether he will take steps to prevent care staff working on sleep in shifts from having their wages reduced.

Helen Whately: The Supreme Court has upheld the Court of Appeal judgment. Workers on ‘sleep-in’ shifts are entitled to the minimum wage for the time they are awake for the purpose of working. The Government is working closely with local authorities and providers in order to consider whether this judgment might have implications with respect to the provision of social care more generally and to consider what action if any is needed.Local authorities and providers should continue to ensure that that care workers are supported and remunerated in accordance with both minimum wage law and local authorities’ market shaping duties.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to implement the recommendations of the Care Quality Commission report, Protect, respect, connect – decisions about living and dying well during COVID-19, published 18 March 2021.

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the CQC report, Protect, respect, connect – decisions about living and dying well during covid-19, published 18 March 2021, what estimate he has made of the number of inappropriate or blanket Do Not Attempt CPR decisions taken during the covid-19 outbreak.

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the CQC report, Protect, respect, connect – decisions about living and dying well during covid-19, published 18 March 2021, what steps she will take to address outstanding inappropriate or blanket do not attempt CPR decisions taken as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of the CQC's report, entitled Protect, respect, connect: decisions about living and dying well during COVID-19, published on 18 March 2021.

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many do not attempt CPR decisions were taken annually across the health and social care sector from 2010 to 2021; and how many of those decisions were taken in each of those years without being signed off by a senior clinician.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department is committed to driving forward the recommendations set out in the Care Quality Commission’s report through the establishment of a Ministerial Oversight Group. This group will bring together partners across health and social care to implement improvements in Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) decisions and ensure everyone receives the compassionate care they deserve.The Department does not hold data on the numbers of DNACPR decisions. However, we remain clear that it is unacceptable for DNACPR decisions to be applied in a blanket fashion to any group of people and have taken continued action over the last year, alongside clinical leaders, to clarify best practice. The Adult Social Care Winter Plan reinforces that any advance care decision, including DNACPR decisions, should be fully discussed with the individual and their family where possible and appropriate, and signed by the clinician responsible for their care.The 2020/21 General Medical Services contract Quality and Outcomes Framework includes a requirement for all DNACPR decisions for people with learning disabilities to be reviewed. We continue to monitor the situation and have invited charities to inform us where cases of inappropriate practice are identified so that action can be taken.

Coronavirus

Sir David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of people experiencing long covid symptoms in (a) England, (b) Greater London and (c) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency.

Ms Nadine Dorries: We do not currently have the data requested at Greater London or constituency level. The Office for National Statistics that as of 27 December 2020, 301,000 people in England were living with COVID-19 symptoms that had persisted for between five and 12 weeks.

Coronavirus: Medical Treatments

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the treatment options available to people with symptoms of long covid.

Ms Nadine Dorries: COVID-19 is a new disease and therefore it is not yet clear what the physical, psychological and rehabilitation needs will be for those experiencing long-term effects of the virus. The Government has provided funding, through the National Institute for Health Research and UK Research Innovation for several research studies. One of these studies, based at the University of Birmingham, is researching therapies for ‘long’ COVID-19 in non-hospitalised patients.On 18 December, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published a guideline on the management of the long-term effects of COVID-19. As part of developing the guidance, an expert panel undertook an evidence review into pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions. The evidence review is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng188/evidence/evidence-review-5-interventions-pdf-8957629261

Sodium Valproate

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 17 February 2021 to Question 149746 on Sodium Valproate, what the terms of reference are for his Department's assessment of recommendation 4 of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Recommendation 4 of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety (IMMDS) Review, which relates to redress schemes, gives the Government the parameters for its assessment. In undertaking it, the Government will continue to utilise the wealth of information captured by the review as well as other relevant information. A full response to this and other outstanding recommendations of the IMMDS Review will be set out later in 2021.

DNACPR decisions: Coronavirus

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to implement the recommendations of the Care Quality Commission’s interim report into the use of Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation during the covid-19 outbreak.

Helen Whately: The Department welcomes the publication of Care Quality Commission’s report into the use of Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) decisions taking during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are committed to the recommendations set out in the report. We will establish a Ministerial Oversight Group to bring together partners across health and social care to implement improvements in DNACPR decisions and ensure everyone receives the compassionate care they deserve.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the length of time it takes for medically qualified and registered individuals to become covid-19 vaccinators; and if he will make a statement.

Nadhim Zahawi: The vaccination programme includes different training pathways for individuals applying for vaccinator roles depending on their qualifications, experience, clinical training and registration status.The training is designed to be completed at the individual’s pace and the criteria for completing certain modules will vary. Therefore, the length of time it may take a medically qualified person who is registered will also vary depending on their previous vaccination experience and that relevant training is up to date.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people are in each priority groups for phase 1 of the covid-19 vaccination programme, by ethnicity.

Nadhim Zahawi: We do not currently hold this information centrally in the format requested.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans are in place to support blind and visually impaired people to access their covid-19 vaccine with (a) braille inclusive vaccine information, (b) vaccine centre location assistance, (c) vaccine centre signage and lighting and (d) staff guidance.

Nadhim Zahawi: PHE (Public Health England) has published British Sign Language, braille, and large print versions of the guidance. The national booking letters are sent in size 16 font as standard, as defined by RNIB as large print and also provide 119 as an option.PHE is currently working with RNIB to further disseminate our resources, identify any gaps, support RNIB’s teaching programme to the vaccination workforce and refine plans for the production of audio versions of our leaflets. All vaccination venues are accessible and will meet the needs of people with disabilities. Individuals and families are being encouraged to raise any need for a reasonable adjustment required ahead of vaccination appointments.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to tackle misinformation on covid-19 vaccines to ensure all communities have access to accurate information.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Department is working closely with Public Health England and NHS England and NHS Improvement to provide authoritative information to the public to make an informed choice about getting vaccinated. We are also working with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to help social media platforms identify and take action against incorrect claims about the virus in line with their terms and conditions. This includes anti-vaccination narratives that could endanger public health.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to include SEND staff in the first phase of the covid-19 vaccination roll-out.

Nadhim Zahawi: For the first phase, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation advised that the vaccine should be given to care home residents and staff, as well as frontline health and social care workers, then to the rest of the population over 50 years old in order of age. The first phase also includes those with certain clinical risk factors, which make them particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. Special educational needs teachers will therefore be prioritised according to their age and clinical risk along with the rest of the population.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Nigel Mills: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients in (a) Derbyshire and (b) Amber Valley constituency are in phase 1 priority groups for covid-19 vaccination.

Nigel Mills: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients in (a) Derbyshire and (b) Amber Valley constituency are in the top four priority groups for covid-19 vaccination.

Nigel Mills: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people in (a) Derbyshire and (b) Amber Valley constituency have received a covid-19 vaccine as of 7 January 2021.

Nadhim Zahawi: The information requested at county level is not currently available. In addition, constituency level vaccination and eligibility data is not available in the format requested as of 7 January 2021.Data on the number of vaccinations delivered is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-vaccinations/

Nurses: Training

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to create more (a) training and (b) employment opportunities for student nurses.

Helen Whately: In September 2020, we made a new funding package of at least £5,000 available to all eligible pre-registration nursing students at an English University. The next iteration of the NHS People Plan will set out the needs of the National Health Service making sure we put the right measures in place to support and grow the workforce. An additional £15 million has also been made available through Health Education England to increase clinical placements in the NHS to support this growth.We are also seeking to widen participation by ensuring that there are opportunities available for those who are unable to learn through a full-time degree. The Nursing Associate role and the Nurse Degree Apprenticeship in England provide work-based training routes into the registered nursing profession.

Care Homes: Staff

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to encourage the recruitment of care workers.

Helen Whately: In order to attract more people into the sector we have been running a national recruitment campaign across broadcast, digital and social media. The latest phase of the campaign, Care for Others, Make a Difference, was launched in early February. We are also working with the Department for Work and Pensions to provide resources to work coaches to help them promote adult social care careers to jobseekers.

Dental Services: Coronavirus

Nickie Aiken: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of amending the Units of Dental Activity (UDA) allocation of an urgent band of treatment from 1.2 UDAs to 3 UDAs retrospectively from 1 January 2021 until the end of the covid-19 outbreak to (a) reduce contractual pressures on dentists and (b) take into account the time taken to see urgent patients during the covid-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: The Department has no current plans to assess the units of dental activity (UDA) allocation for urgent dental treatment.Contractual arrangements for the first six months of the 2021/22 financial year have been introduced by NHS England and NHS Improvement. The revised UDA threshold set at 60% is based on data that indicates practices may now have capacity to safely achieve more dental activity. Arrangements will be monitored on a monthly basis and are expected to be in place for six months in order to provide increased stability for dental practices. National Health Service commissioners have the discretion to make exceptions, for instance in cases where a dental practice has been impacted by staff being required to self-isolate.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish weekly data on (a) the number of people vaccinated for covid-19 by (i) constituency and (ii) lower local authority level and (b) the proportion of people vaccinated for covid-19 in each Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation priority group by (A) constituency and (B) lower local authority level.

Nadhim Zahawi: NHS England and NHS Improvement publish daily data on the total first and second doses given to date by region. NHS England and NHS Improvement also release a weekly publication of vaccination data including the number of people vaccinated by both constituency and lower local authority level. The weekly publications also include the proportion of people vaccinated for COVID-19 across a range of cohorts and geographies and population estimates are provided for the majority of the data. This data is available at the following link:www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-vaccinations/

Vaccination: Correspondence

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of delays to postal deliveries as a result of sickness in the postal service workforce on people receiving their vaccination letters.

Nadhim Zahawi: No specific assessment has been made. Local vaccination services are for the most part using text messages or phone calls as the first approach. Follow up phone calls are also being made to those who have not responded to initial invitations.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of mental health trusts that have become hospital hubs and are able to offer covid-19 vaccines to their patients.

Nadhim Zahawi: Information concerning all facilities offering COVID-19 vaccinations, including hospital hubs identified as National Health Service mental health trusts sites, is available at the following link: www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/publication/vaccination-sites/

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of giving priority status for covid-19 vaccinations to guides and drivers for pupils at special schools due to the proximity of those guides and drivers to children with SEND.

Nadhim Zahawi: For phase two of the COVID-19 vaccination programme, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s interim advice set out that the most effective way to minimise hospitalisations and deaths is to continue to prioritise people by age, rather than by occupation. Age is assessed to be the strongest factor linked to mortality, morbidity and hospitalisations.If guides and drivers for pupils at special schools are captured in phase one or two due to age or clinical need, then they will be vaccinated accordingly.

Social Services: Finance

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Government's announcement on 16 January 2021 of additional £120 million of funding for local authorities to boost staffing levels in the care sector during the covid-19 outbreak, whether he plans to take steps to (a) allocate the funding across local authorities, (b) ensure that funding is allocated according to level of need and (c) make that funding available on a permanent footing for local authorities.

Helen Whately: The £120 million Workforce Capacity Fund for adult social care is available until 31 March and was created to address critical staffing shortages caused by COVID-19. The Government announced local authority allocations on 16 January. These were calculated using the Adult Social Care Relative Needs Formula and are available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/workforce-capacity-fund-for-adult-social-care In 2021-22 we expect to provide local authorities with estimated funding of £3 billion to help manage the impact of COVID-19. Of this, £1.55 billion is being provided as grant funding directly for spending pressures on local authority services, including adult social care. We are actively reviewing the need for further funding for adult social care and decisions will be made in due course.

Care Homes: Coronavirus

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with representatives of care homes on the reliability of lateral flow tests.

Helen Whately: The Department has regular discussions with care sector stakeholders including the National Care Forum and Care England, care home provider groups and individual care homes regarding the use of lateral flow device testing.

Abortion: Drugs

Sally-Ann Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the advice to women to seek medical advice or call an ambulance on 999 if they experience certain complications from medical abortions at home, whether Emergency Departments are recording the complications medical abortions based on whether those pills were taken (a) at home, (b) partially at home, or (c) in a clinic; and whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of requiring Emergency Departments to distinguish between home and in-clinic medical abortion complications.

Helen Whately: This level of detail is not recorded in the Emergency Care Data Set or Hospital Episode Statistics accident and emergency data. The Department acknowledges there are limitations with the abortion complications data that is collected. We are planning to examine with partner organisations how well these systems are working in relation to recording complications arising from abortions and whether improvement is required.

NHS: Staff

Nicola Richards: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to publish the next stage of the NHS People Plan.

Helen Whately: The NHS People Plan is a shared programme of work to grow the workforce, support new ways of working and develop a compassionate and inclusive workplace culture in order to deliver the NHS Long Term Plan.  We are working with NHS England and NHS Improvement, Health Education England and with systems and employers to determine our workforce and people priorities beyond April 2021 to support the recovery of National Health Service staff and services.

Care Homes: Visits

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will set out a timetable for the re-introduction of close contact care home visits in England.

Helen Whately: New visiting arrangements started on 8 March. From then, every care home should ensure that each resident can nominate one named person who can have regular, indoor visits. Those with the highest care needs can also nominate an ‘essential care giver’. These visitors will be able to visit more often in order to provide essential care. They will have the same testing and arrangements as care home staff so that they can also provide extra support, like help with washing and dressing or eating well.At step two of the roadmap, we will assess the data and take a decision on opening up further opportunities for visiting, setting out a plan for the next phase of visits for people in residential care.

Day Centres: Private Sector

Alberto Costa: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to include privately run social care day centres within the remit of the CQC.

Helen Whately: There are no plans to include privately run social care day centres within the remit of the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Social care day centres do not generally provide personal care or any other regulated activity as defined in Schedule 1 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. All providers of regulated activities must register with the CQC.Personal care is defined by the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 as regulated activity that involves supporting people in their homes (or where they're living at the time) with things like washing, bathing or cleaning themselves, getting dressed or going to the toilet.

Coronavirus: Disability

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2021 to Question 153163 on Coronavirus: Disability, with reference to finding by the Office of National Statistics that 60 per cent of deaths involving covid-19 between 24 January and 20 November 2020 were disabled people, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that disabled people are protected from covid-19 in the future.

Helen Whately: The Government plans to publish a National Strategy for Disabled People later this spring to ensure that all disabled people can play a full role in society. The Strategy will take into account the impacts of the pandemic on disabled people and will focus on the issues that disabled people say affect them the most in all aspects of life.Local authorities are working with other local partners including clinical commissioning groups, voluntary sector partners and community leaders, to identify the way in which COVID-19 has widened health inequalities and factor this into their recovery plans.

Coronavirus: Educational Institutions

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2020 to Question 91159, whether specific modelling was carried out on the potential effect of the return of students to (a) schools, (b) colleges and (c) universities on levels of demand for covid-19 testing.

Helen Whately: No specific modelling was carried out on the return to schools, colleges and universities. However, schools, colleges and universities did form part of the modelling carried out on the overall demand for testing.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if the Government will publish weekly figures on the number of covid-19 vaccine doses which were spoilt due to (a) supply chain issues and (b) appointment no-shows.

Nadhim Zahawi: The information requested is not currently held centrally. Work is ongoing across the vaccination programme to standardise and increase the information available for management purposes.All vaccination services have been advised to maintain backup reserve list of eligible people to take up any missed appointments.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to monitor the effectiveness of existing covid-19 vaccines against new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to monitor the effectiveness of existing covid-19 vaccines against new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to monitor the effectiveness of existing covid-19 vaccines against new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Nadhim Zahawi: Public Health England has published early estimates of vaccine effectiveness which includes the United Kingdom variant of concern which is available at the following link:https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.03.01.21252652v1The 2021 Budget included £28 million to increase the United Kingdom’s capacity for vaccine testing, support for clinical trials and improve the UK’s ability to rapidly acquire samples of new variants of COVID-19. In addition, £22 million has been allocated to a world-leading study to test the effectiveness of combinations of different vaccines and fund the world’s first study assessing the effectiveness of a third dose of vaccine to improve the response against current and future variants of COVID-19. A further £5 million investment in clinical-scale mRNA manufacturing has been provided to create a ‘library’ of vaccines to work against COVID-19 variants for possible rapid response deployment.

Bone Marrow: Donors

Imran Ahmad Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to promote bone marrow donations during the covid-19 outbreak.

Helen Whately: NHS Blood and Transplant’s British Bone Marrow Registry has continued to recruit blood donors as potential stem cell donors after a brief pause at the start of the pandemic. They have exceeded the annual target for new donors for the past year and aim to double the number of donors added in this coming year to 30,000.In 2020-21, the Department’s stem cell programme provided funding of £620,000 including recruitment and genotyping of prospective donors from ethnic minority backgrounds and supporting the use of the cord blood stem cell bank. In 2020, Anthony Nolan was awarded £315,000 from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport voluntary sector scheme to support stem cell donations, stem cell transplants and blood cancer patient’s wellbeing during the pandemic.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether it is the Government's policy to deliver second doses of covid-19 vaccines within the 12 week timeframe; and what assessment he has made of the potential effect on vaccine efficacy in the event that timeframe is exceeded.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Government’s policy, based on recommendations from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation and the four United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers, is that second doses should be administered within 12 weeks of the first dose. For the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, the second dose may be given between three to 12 weeks following the first dose whilst the second dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine may be given between four to 12 weeks following the first dose. Recent data from Public Health England shows a single dose of either the Oxford/AstraZeneca or Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine reduces hospital admissions by 80% in the over 70 year olds. No assessment has been made of the potential effect on vaccine efficacy at a timeframe over 12 weeks.

Blood: Donors

Imran Ahmad Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to promote the giving of blood donations from students approaching the age of 18.

Helen Whately: NHS Blood and Transplant, in collaboration with Anthony Nolan, has developed free, curriculum-linked resources for secondary school teachers in England, to educate children aged 11 to 16 years old about blood, organ and stem cell donation. In addition, NHS Blood and Transplant charity partners have developed resources for children and young people.NHS Blood and Transplant also delivers events and outreach activity in local colleges, sixth forms and universities. This activity has currently been paused or delivered virtually but will resume when national restrictions ease.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Kate Hollern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what criteria his Department is using to assess the viability of covid-19 vaccination sites.

Nadhim Zahawi: NHS England and NHS Improvement undertake an assessment of all potential sites which may be considered under the vaccination programme. This will include size, location, availability, suitability and will include an assessment around accessibility aligned to the Equality Act 2010. Where there are running costs to be incurred, the site will also be subject to a value for money assessment. Sites will be secured under formal lease or licence.

Blood: Donors

Imran Ahmad Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to promote blood donations during the covid-19 outbreak.

Helen Whately: In collaboration with Anthony Nolan, NHS Blood and Transplant has continued to promote blood donation during the pandemic, using a combination of partnership outreach, press and social coverage, paid media and extensive direct communications to targeted groups. It has also maintained regular engagement with the public and donors to reinforce the ongoing need for blood donation and to overcome perceived barriers, such as whether travel to donate was allowed and safety of the donation sessions.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of people that have been offered a covid-19 vaccination appointment have been offered that appointment at a vaccination centre within 10 miles of their home address.

Nadhim Zahawi: The data is not held in the format requested. In England, currently more than 98% of the population is within 10 miles of a vaccine service. In a small number of highly rural areas, the vaccination centre will be a mobile unit.

Blood: Donors

Imran Ahmad Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of altering the time period permitted between receiving a covid-19 vaccine and donating blood.

Helen Whately: ’Non-live’ immunisations, including all COVID-19 vaccines currently licensed in the United Kingdom, do not use material that can cause the recipient infection. This means there is no risk to people receiving donated material from a recently immunised non-exposed donor. However, NHS Blood and Transplant advises donors who have received a COVID-19 vaccine to wait for seven days before donating blood. This is because some patients may experience side effects which would require the donation to be deferred until the side effects had settled to ensure the safety of the donor. If a donor develops symptoms after their donation, NHS Blood and Transplant would recall any components made from these donations from production and/or hospitals as a precautionary measure.

Coronavirus: Screening

Imran Ahmad Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many adults who received a positive test result from a lateral flow test for covid-19 subsequently received a negative test result from a PCR test in the most recent period for which that information is available.

Helen Whately: The Department does not hold the data requested.

Coronavirus: Screening

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2021 to Question 167938 on Coronavirus: Screening, for what reason no such assessment has been made.

Helen Whately: No assessments have been made within the early years and nursery settings as they are still in the early stages of regular testing.

Coronavirus: Screening

Imran Ahmad Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many school-age students who received a positive test result from a lateral flow test for covid-19 subsequently received a negative test result from a PCR test in the most recent period for which that information is available.

Helen Whately: The Department does not hold the data requested.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2021 to Question 135878, on Coronavirus: Disease Control, in what format that data is available.

Helen Whately: The data collected on each individual positive case from a specific date does not show whether that individual is later admitted to hospital.

Business: Coronavirus

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of businesses in Cambridge that are eligible for the workplace testing programme have registered for that programme.

Helen Whately: There are 760 private sector organisations in Cambridge which have registered interest in workplace testing. This represents approximately 16% of all businesses in the area.

Epilepsy: Pregnancy

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to fund epilepsy medicines research to ensure safer drugs for pregnant women with epilepsy.

Edward Argar: Since 2020, the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has funded three research projects on epilepsy medicines to ensure safer drugs for pregnant women with a combined value of £434,396.

Medical Records: Research

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the results of Dr Ben Goldacre's review into the use of health data for research and analysis in April 2021.

Edward Argar: Dr Goldacre will conclude his review in April and it will be published as soon as possible following its completion.

Alzheimer's Disease and Motor Neurone Disease: Medical Treatments

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential role of the Gene Therapy Innovation and Manufacturing Centre in Sheffield in developing new treatment options for (a) motor neurone disease and (b) Alzheimers.

Edward Argar: No such assessment has been made.

Department for Education

Special Educational Needs

James Daly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to improve educational and developmental outcomes for children with SEND.

Vicky Ford: Our ambition is for every child, no matter what challenge they face, to have access to a world-class education that sets them up for life. Supporting children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to access high quality teaching and specialist professional care is a priority for this government.The cross-government SEND Review is looking at ways to improve the SEND system, including better outcomes for children and young people with SEND, with help offered early in genuine partnership with families. Our ambition is to publish proposals for public consultation in the spring.We have announced a major investment in special needs education, including an additional £730 million into high needs in the 2021-22 financial year, coming on top of the additional £780 million in the 2020-21 financial year, which means high needs budgets will have grown by over £1.5 billion, nearly a quarter, in just 2 years. We are also investing £300 million capital funding in the 2021-22 financial year for new places for children and young people with SEND, a significant single-year increase in our capital investment in new high needs places.We are also supporting local SEND services. On 10 February 2021, we announced over £42 million of funding for projects to support children and young people with SEND in financial year 2021-22. This investment will ensure that specialist organisations around the country can continue their work to help strengthen local area performance, support families and provide practical support to schools and colleges. Crucially, it will strengthen participation of parents and young people in the SEND system, ensuring they have a voice in designing policies and services and have access to high quality information, advice and support. It includes £27.3 million specifically to support families on low incomes raising children with disabilities or serious illnesses.Finally, we recognise that the COVID-19 outbreak has had a particular impact on children and young people. We are committed to helping all pupils, including those with SEND, make up learning lost as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. The government has announced £1.7 billion to give education settings support to help pupils get back on track, including additional funding, tutoring, early language support and summer schools. Sir Kevan Collins has also been appointed as the Education Recovery Commissioner and is considering how schools and the system can more effectively target resources and support at pupils in greatest need.

Pre-school Education

James Daly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to support maintained nursery schools.

Vicky Ford: Maintained nursery schools (MNSs) are an important part of the early years sector and provide valuable services, especially in disadvantaged areas.Early years providers, including MNSs, have continued to receive early education entitlements funding during the COVID-19 outbreak. We have also re-confirmed around £60 million, nationally, in supplementary funding for MNSs for the financial year 2021-22.Like private nurseries, MNSs typically rely on private income for a significant proportion of their income, unlike most state-funded schools. Therefore, we have ensured that access to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) is also available to MNSs, in line with published guidance. On 3 March 2021, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced that the CJRS will be extended until the end of September 2021. As long as staff meet the other criteria for the scheme, schools and early years providers are able to furlough their staff if they have experienced a drop in either their income from parents or government. MNSs were also able to access free school meals vouchers via Edenred.This government remains committed to the long-term funding of maintained nursery schools, and any reform to the way they are funded will be accompanied by appropriate funding protections.

Schools: Coronavirus

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many false positives from lateral flow tests have been reported by schools; and what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of changing the guidance to allow a correct negative from a subsequent PCR test to be allowed to reduce the number of pupils being sent home.

Nick Gibb: The Government has removed confirmatory polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing for lateral flow tests taken at test sites following advice from Public Health England that, when COVID-19 prevalence rates are high, the performance of lateral flow devices (LFDs) and PCRs are broadly comparable when used at test sites, significantly reducing the need for routine confirmatory testing.All positive results from rapid tests undertaken at home do need to be confirmed with a standard PCR test. Despite the low risk of false positives, this requirement is in place because tests at home are not conducted in a controlled environment with trained staff. When testing at the home, the individual should report positive, negative and void results to the school/college. If the result is positive, the individual and close contacts should isolate, and the school/college should help with contact tracing. The individual will also need to arrange a PCR test either online or via 119 to confirm the result. If the PCR test is negative, it overrides the LFD home test, and a child can return to school.

Outdoor Education: Coronavirus

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the guidance, Covid-19 Response - Spring 2021, at what stage the Government plans to re-open outdoor education facilities for overnight school trips; and when he plans to publish relevant guidance.

Nick Gibb: Schools are advised against all educational visits at this time. The Department has updated its advice to schools on the planning and booking of educational day and residential visits: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/schools-coronavirus-covid-19-operational-guidance#educational-visits.It is in line with the Government’s roadmap to recovery, as set out in: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-spring-2021/covid-19-response-spring-2021.

Children and Young People: Mental Health Services

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much his Department has spent to date on the delivery of the proposals in the Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health green paper.

Vicky Ford: The Department for Education has spent £9.2 million to date on the delivery of our specific commitments outlined in the government’s 2018 response to ‘Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health: A Green Paper’. This includes £2.6 million for supporting the roll-out of new mental health support teams, the national roll-out (and adaptation during the COVID-19 outbreak) of the Link Programme, improving joint working between local health and education partners, and developing a training offer for senior mental health leads in schools and colleges.In response to the pressures of the COVID-19 outbreak, the government prioritised bespoke training and support to meet the immediate challenges that schools and colleges were facing in supporting children and young people. The department has therefore also spent £6.6 million contributing to the Wellbeing for Education Return programme alongside the Department for Health and Social Care, providing training and support to schools and colleges with their immediate approach to wellbeing and mental health during the COVID-19 outbreak.The £8 million Wellbeing for Education Return programme has funded local experts to provide training, advice and resources for schools and further education (FE) providers to help support the wellbeing, resilience and recovery of pupils and students, parents and carers and staff in light of the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown.Over 90% of local authority areas in England have reported that they are delivering additional training and support into local schools and FE providers because of the Wellbeing for Education Return funding, and have been continuing to do so remotely. Nationally, information indicates that more than 15,000 education settings are being offered additional training and support. We remain committed to our joint green paper delivery programme with DHSC and NHS England, including introducing new mental health support teams for all schools and colleges, providing training for senior mental health leads in schools and colleges and testing approaches to faster access to NHS specialist support.The support that schools and FE providers provide to their pupils as they return to face-to-face education should include time devoted to supporting mental health and wellbeing, which will play a fundamental part in supporting children and young people’s recovery. The £700 million package includes a new one-off Recovery Premium for state primary, secondary and special schools to use as they see best to support disadvantaged students. This will help schools and FE providers to provide their disadvantaged pupils with a one-off boost to the academic and pastoral support that has been proved most effective in helping them recover from the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak. It can be used for mental health and wellbeing support. The expectations for schools in this regard are set out clearly in the department’s guidance to schools, which also signposts further support: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak.This funding follows our £1 billion COVID-19 catch-up package, which includes £650 million shared across early years, schools and 16-19 providers over the 2020/21 academic year to support education settings to put the right catch-up and pastoral support in place. This is already being used by schools to put in place additional mental health and wellbeing and other support.We have also recently announced a £79 million boost to children and young people’s mental health support, including through mental health support teams. The support teams provide early intervention on mental health and emotional wellbeing issues in schools and colleges, supporting them with their wider approach and liaison with health services. The teams will grow from the 59 set up by last spring to around 400 by April 2023, supporting nearly 3 million children. This increase means that millions of children and young people will have access to significantly expanded mental health services.As well as providing additional COVID-19 specific mental health advice and support, our relationships education, relationships and sex education and health education curriculum includes mental health and wellbeing. We have online training materials and implementation guides, as well as case studies, which gives inclusive advice to schools and staff on how best to support pupils’ mental health: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/teaching-about-mental-wellbeing.The department has convened its Mental Health in Education Action Group to look at the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the mental health and wellbeing of children, young people and staff in nurseries, schools, colleges, and universities. It is bringing together partners to take additional action to support mental wellbeing of children and young people with the return to education settings and with transitions between education settings in September 2021. This will include looking at what more we can do to help schools to make the most effective use of the recovery premium to support mental health and wellbeing.

Schools: Coronavirus

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with headteachers on streamlining the process for accessing funding during the covid-19 outbreak.

Nick Gibb: The Department engages with school and college leaders at consultative groups on a regular basis. In addition to this, representatives from the Department attend local authority regional finance officers’ groups and schools forums to gather intelligence and feedback to shape policy decisions based on concerns raised. We work with representatives and user groups to ensure guidance is clear, payments are on time, and all digital claim forms are user friendly.

Schools: Platinum Jubilee 2022

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that schools commemorate and celebrate Her Majesty the Queen’s forthcoming Platinum Jubilee.

Nick Gibb: The Department is currently considering ways in which it, and schools, can commemorate and celebrate The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Details of this will be available once decisions have been made and plans are in place.

Schools: Coronavirus

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 9 Mar 2021 to Question 159297 on Schools: Coronavirus, what other information or advice has been provided to (a) schools, (b) parents and (c) young people on applying exemptions from wearing face coverings in schools and classrooms; and which advice or guidance from his Department sets out what action should be taken if masks are removed to aid communication between teachers and pupils.

Nick Gibb: The Department’s advice on face coverings is outlined clearly in published guidance, which can be found at the following links: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak; https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/face-coverings-in-education.We have also published information for parents and carers about attending schools, nurseries and colleges in the spring term 2021. This can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/what-parents-and-carers-need-to-know-about-early-years-providers-schools-and-colleges-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.Our recommendation regarding the use of face coverings in classrooms applies to those in schools and colleges where Year 7 and above are educated unless social distancing can be maintained in classrooms. Whilst we recognise that the wearing of face coverings may impact communication, increased use of face coverings will strengthen the current safety measures in place in schools and support the return to face to face education.As the guidance outlines, those who rely on visual signals for communication, or communicate with or provide support to such individuals, are currently exempt from any requirement to wear face coverings in schools and colleges or in public places. The same exemptions apply in schools and we expect staff, pupils and students to be sensitive to those needs, noting that some people are less able to wear face coverings and that the reasons for this may not be visible to others.Schools should follow the system of controls as outlined in our guidance and put in place proportionate control measures that suit their individual circumstances, based on a thorough risk assessment. This should include making reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils and students to support them to access education successfully.We continue to provide information to the sector on our guidance, and any changes to it, through regular departmental communications. These additional precautionary measures will be kept under review and we will update guidance as necessary.

Literature: Curriculum

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the curriculum for all school pupils includes (a) the work of William Shakespeare and (b) the full canon of English Literature.

Nick Gibb: The National Curriculum for English aims to ensure that all pupils appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage. It encourages pupils to read a range of books, poems, and plays to encourage the development of a life-long love of literature. Pupils should be taught to maintain positive attitudes to reading and understanding of what they read by increasing their familiarity with a wide range of books, including myths, legends and traditional stories, modern fiction, fiction from our literary heritage, and books from other cultures and traditions.The English National Curriculum applies to all state-maintained schools, but not academies or free schools. Academies must teach a broad and balanced curriculum, including English. It is a statutory requirement that maintained schools follow the English Programmes of Study. Whilst these Programmes of Study do not set out specific reading lists at secondary level, they set out the following categories from which schools should choose texts.At Key Stage 3, all pupils in maintained schools must study: English Literature, both pre-1914 and contemporary, including prose, poetry and drama; Shakespeare (two plays); and seminal world literature. We have also strengthened the Key Stage 4 English Programmes of Study to ensure all pupils read a wide range of high-quality, challenging, classic English Literature. There is a renewed focus on the reading of whole texts. At Key Stage 4, all pupils in maintained schools must study: at least one play by Shakespeare; works from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries; and poetry since 1789, including Romantic poetry.Exam boards will set out a range of choices within the following categories from which schools can select texts. Those taking a GCSE in English Literature, which is the majority of Key Stage 4 pupils, must study: at least one play by Shakespeare; at least one nineteenth-century novel; a selection of poetry since 1789, including representative Romantic poetry; and fiction or drama from the British Isles from 1914 onwards.

Maintained Schools: Coronavirus

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of collaborations between local authorities and trust and maintained schools in overcoming challenges related to the covid-19 outbreak.

Nick Gibb: Since March 2020, Regional Schools Commissioners have led Regional Education and Children’s Teams (REACT), each covering dedicated geographical areas. REACTs brought together existing Department staff from areas including education, children’s social care and special educational needs and disability, early years, and further education. The role of REACTs is to pool intelligence and assess risks across local authority areas as part of the COVID-19 response. REACTs also identify common themes and issues to feed back to Ministers and to policy teams, and signpost to additional support and guidance. REACTs are working with local authorities, academy trusts and others on a wide variety of issues throughout the response to the COVID-19 outbreak and have witnessed many examples of effective local collaboration between local authorities and different types of schools.

Remote Education: ICT

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which (a) Government department or (b) organisation will be responsible for (i) assessing the number of children and young people who remain without access to an appropriate (A) digital device, (B) internet connection and (C) data after the rollout of the Get Help with Technology scheme is complete; and what steps his Department is taking to tackle digital exclusion among school pupils after the rollout of that scheme.

Nick Gibb: I refer the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne Central to the answer I gave on 19 March 2021 to Parliamentary Question 168911.

Adoption Support Fund: Coronavirus

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to allow Adoption Support Funding for the 2020-21 year to be transferred to 2021-22 in cases where therapy has been delayed as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Vicky Ford: There are no plans to allow funding, approved for services in the 2020-21 financial year, to be used to deliver those services in the 2021-22 financial year. This is outside normal departmental accounting rules. However, funding will continue to be available for new applications for services from April 2021, so children and families will be able to get the therapeutic support they need.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effect of digital exclusion on the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers.

Nick Gibb: I refer the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne Central to the answer I gave on 19 March 2021 to Parliamentary Question 168910.

Coronavirus: Special Educational Needs

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will bring forward proposals to end the provisions in section 38 and Schedule 17 of the Coronavirus Act 2020 as covid-19 restrictions are lifted to make it the duty of schools to secure SEND provision for disabled children and young people.

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will work with Cabinet colleagues to bring forward proposals to end the provisions in section 38 and Schedule 17 of the Coronavirus Act 2020 as covid-19 restrictions are lifted to make it the duty of schools to secure SEND provision for disabled children and young people.

Vicky Ford: The legal duties on schools, local authorities, and health bodies to provide support to children and young people with Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans are fully in force. As part of the early response to the COVID-19 outbreak, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, did issue notices under the Coronavirus Act 2020 for the months of May to July 2020 that temporarily modified the law over the provision set out in EHC plans. However, when the July notice expired last year, the full duty to secure or arrange provision under section 42 of the Children and Families Act 2014 was reinstated. The safeguards built into the Coronavirus Act 2020 include that such notices can only be made where this is an ‘appropriate and proportionate action in all the circumstances relating to the incidence or transmission of Coronavirus’. Therefore, this is not a power that can be used without compelling reason. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, continues to keep the need to issue further such notices under review, but he has made it clear that he will not do so unless the evidence changes. As part of the one year review of the Coronavirus Act 2020, and in line with the announcement of the roadmap, the government has conducted a thorough review of the non-devolved provisions to check that they are necessary and proportionate. We have considered whether there is a robust justification for keeping each power. Where we have concluded that powers are no longer necessary to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak, we are providing for these to expire or be suspended. We do not, however, consider it appropriate at this stage to remove the power to issue notices relating to the law on EHC plans. Use of the power was and remains an important contingency to use swiftly in the event of local authorities, health bodies and education settings again needing flexibility to prioritise their resources in response to the changing demands of the outbreak.

Pupils: Counselling

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the document published by his Department in 2016 entitled Counselling in schools: a blueprint for the future, what progress his Department has made on meeting the expectation set out in that document that all schools should provide counselling services to pupils.

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of the children referred to CAMHS in 2019-20 that did not meet the threshold to receive treatment received support from a school counselling service.

Vicky Ford: School and college-based counselling is valuable provision which can play a particularly effective role as part of a whole school or college approach within which support can come from several sources. In that context, it is important that schools and colleges have the freedom to decide what support to offer to students and staff based on their particular needs and drawing on an evidence base of effective practice. The purpose of the blueprint was to support schools to make provision and set out advice from school and counselling experts to illustrate to schools how to make best use of counselling support.The government does not hold central data on the mental health support accessed by individual children and young people. The department does not require schools to provide regular information on the provision of counselling in schools and colleges for pupils and staff. Our most recent survey of mental health provision in schools and colleges published in 2017 found that 61% of schools and colleges (56% of primary schools, 84% of secondary schools and 93% of colleges) reported offering access to counselling service for their pupils.In the long term, we remain committed to our joint green paper delivery programme with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England, including introducing new mental health support teams for all schools and colleges, providing training for senior mental health leads in schools and colleges, and testing approaches to faster access to NHS specialist support.We have recently announced a £79 million boost to children and young people’s mental health support, including through mental health support teams. These teams, which provide early intervention on mental health and emotional wellbeing issues in schools and colleges, will grow from over 180 teams currently established or in development to around 400 by April 2023, supporting nearly 3 million children across the country. This increase means that millions of children and young people will have access to significantly expanded mental health services.

Students: Coronavirus

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of forgiving student debt accrued during the covid-19 outbreak.

Michelle Donelan: This has been a very difficult time for students, and the government is working with the higher education (HE) sector to make sure all reasonable efforts are being made to enable students to continue their studies. We thank all HE staff for their tireless work to ensure that young people do not have to put their lives or their academic journeys on hold.The government’s clear and stated expectation is that universities should maintain the quality and quantity of tuition and should seek to ensure that all students, regardless of their background, have the resources to study remotely.Universities are autonomous and responsible for setting their own fees within maximum fee limits set by regulations. The government is committed to a sustainable HE funding model that supports high quality provision, meets the skills needs of the country and maintains the world-class reputation of UK HE. We recognise that tuition fees must continue to represent value for money for students and taxpayers, both during the COVID-19 outbreak and afterwards.The government has already announced that the maximum tuition fee cap will remain at £9,250 for the 2021/22 academic year, in respect of standard full-time courses at approved (fee cap) HE providers. We also intend to freeze the maximum tuition fee caps for the 2022/23 academic year to deliver better value for students and to keep the cost of HE under control (the fifth year in succession that maximum fees have been frozen). Our income-contingent student loan system helps remove financial barriers to study and means that no eligible student needs to pay tuition fees upfront.The Office for Students, as the regulator for HE providers in England, has made it clear that HE providers must continue to comply with registration conditions relating to quality and academic standards. These standards set out requirements to ensure that courses are high-quality, that all students (both domestic and international) are supported and achieve good outcomes and that standards are protected, regardless of whether a provider is delivering its courses through face-to-face teaching, remote online learning or a combination of both.Whether or not an individual student is entitled to a refund will depend on the specific contractual arrangements between the HE provider and student. If students have concerns, there is a process in place. They should first raise their concerns with their university. If their concerns remain unresolved, students at providers in England or Wales can ask the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) for Higher Education to consider their complaint, this is the case for both domestic and international students. The OIA website is available at: https://www.oiahe.org.uk/.The OfS does not get involved in individual student complaints, as this is for the relevant HE provider and possibly the OIA. Students can, however, notify the OfS of issues that may be of regulatory interest to it. These are called ‘notifications’. The OfS uses this information as part of its regulatory monitoring activity and keep higher education providers under review to ensure that they comply with the ongoing conditions of registration. The OfS has produced a guide for students to support them in this process, which is available here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/office-for-students-notifications/.The government recognises that in these exceptional circumstances some students may face financial hardship. The department has worked with the OfS to clarify that providers are able to use existing funds, worth around £256 million for the academic year 2020/21, towards hardship support. We have also made an additional £70 million of student hardship funding available to HE providers this financial year. HE providers have flexibility in how they distribute the funding to students, in a way that best prioritises those in greatest need – this is available to all students.

Students: Loans

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the finding by the UCL Institute of Education in June 2017 which found that risk of student loan debt deters students from poorer backgrounds from applying to university.

Michelle Donelan: The government’s approach to student finance ensures that costs are split fairly between borrowers and the taxpayer and has helped more young people from disadvantaged backgrounds go to university than ever before. Data for 2020 shows, there were 25,820 placed English 18-year-old applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds (POLAR Q1), entry rate of 24.0%. Both are the highest on record. Higher education (HE) providers wishing to charge higher levels fees (£9250) must have an access and participation plan agreed by Office for Students. Plans set out how they will support, including providing financial support, students from disadvantaged backgrounds and under-represented groups to access and successfully participate in HE. Student finance is available to all eligible students, irrespective of their background and credit history. The current system protects borrowers if they see a reduction in their income. Monthly repayments are linked to income, not to interest rates or the amount borrowed. Repayments are made based on a borrower’s monthly or weekly income, not the interest rate or amount borrowed, and no repayments are made for earnings below the repayment threshold, which is currently equivalent to £26,575 a year for borrowers with a post-2012 loan, rising to £27,295 from 6 April 2021. Borrowers are protected, as their repayments decrease if their income decreases, and stops where income falls below the relevant repayment threshold. Any outstanding debt is written off after 30 years or in line with the terms of their specific loan type, with no detriment to the borrower. This write-off (currently around 50%) is a government subsidy of the cost of HE and is a conscious investment in our people and the skills base of the economy.

Students: Fees and Charges

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many complaints his Deaprtment has received on the cancellation of tuition fees (a) during the covid-19 outbreak and (b) over the last 10 years.

Michelle Donelan: This is a difficult and uncertain time for students, but we are working with the sector to make sure all reasonable efforts are being made to enable students to continue their studies.The government’s expectation is that quality and academic standards must be maintained, and the Office for Students (OfS) has made it clear that all higher education (HE) providers must continue to comply with registration conditions relating to quality and standards.If students have concerns, there is a process in place. They should first raise their concerns with their higher education provider. If their concerns remain unresolved, students at providers in England or Wales can ask the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA) to consider their complaint. The OIA is independent of government, and because of this and the autonomy and independence of HE providers, the government does not become involved in individual student complaints.The OIA was established in 2005 as an alternative to the courts to consider unresolved student complaints. It is independent of government, providers and students and it is free of charge to students.The OIA reports the numbers of complaints it has handled during the previous calendar year in its Operating Report and in its Annual Report which is published in the spring each year. The OIA received 2,604 complaints in 2020, which represents a 10% increase on 2019. The OIA has reported that complaints have continued to rise this year, with more than half of them relating to disruption caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.Many of the complaints the OIA receives are not related to tuition fee refunds although that may be a remedy which the OIA recommends. The OIA publishes, in its Annual Report, the total compensation for students it has recommended. The OIA has also published a number of COVID-19 related case summaries and their outcomes which can be found here: https://www.oiahe.org.uk/resources-and-publications/case-summaries/?keyword=coronavirus&type=&sort=desc.

Students: Debts

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of cancelling all student debt.

Michelle Donelan: Cancelling all student loan debt would have a significant fiscal impact on the economy, and on taxpayers, many of whom may not have benefited directly from higher education (HE), but who would be required to fund this additional public spending.The latest statistical release, published in December 2020, shows that the value of outstanding loans at the end of March 2020 reached £140 billion: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn01079/.The government’s approach to student finance ensures that costs are split fairly between borrowers and the taxpayer. This approach has helped more young people from disadvantaged backgrounds go to university than ever before. Taxpayers currently subsidise around 50% of the cost of HE, which is a conscious investment in the skills capacity of the economy.We believe that it is right that students should contribute to the cost of their HE and that this contribution should be linked to their income. Monthly repayments are linked to income and not to interest rates or the amount borrowed. Repayments are made at 9% of amounts earned over the relevant repayment threshold. The repayment threshold is currently equivalent to £26,575 a year for borrowers with a post-2012 loan, rising to £27,295 from 6 April 2021. Borrowers are protected, as their repayments decrease if their income decreases, and stop where income falls below the relevant repayment threshold. Any outstanding debt is written off after 30 years or in line with the terms of the borrower’s specific loan type, with no detriment to the borrower.

Universities: Coronavirus

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will work with the Office for Students to provide guidance to universities on how to effectively take account of the effect of the covid-19 pandemic on academic performance.

Michelle Donelan: It is vital that a fair approach to exams and assessment is in place and understood by students. As autonomous bodies, higher education (HE) providers will make their own judgements about how best to ensure students’ achievements are reliably and fairly assessed.The government’s clear and stated expectation is that quality and academic standards must be maintained. We expect providers to make all reasonable efforts for student achievement to be reliably assessed and for qualifications to be awarded securely.The Office for Students (OfS), as the HE regulator in England, has produced guidance to the sector setting out expectations about provider approaches to teaching and assessment during this time. OfS guidance is clear that standards must be maintained, but clearly changes to assessments may be required in some circumstances. The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) has also published resources for providers on practical ways in which students can be assessed and complete their studies while ensuring quality and standards are upheld.The government will continue to work closely with the QAA, professional bodies and the OfS to ensure students continue to leave university with qualifications that have real value, reflect their hard work and allow people to progress.

Ministry of Justice

Ministry of Justice: Iron and Steel

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the level of UK-produced steel procured by his Department and associated departmental public bodies and agencies in (a) 2019-20 and (b) 2020-21.

Chris Philp: Our procurement activities continue to follow Government guidance to ensure we take full account of the value provided by UK steel producers. We did not directly procure any steel.

Probation: Staff

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation’s report, Caseloads, workloads and staffing levels in probation Services, published in March 2021, what assessment he has made of the potential benefits for reducing (a) reoffending and (b) the costs to the public purse of reoffending of reduced caseloads for probation staff.

Alex Chalk: The work of probation staff is a vital part of protecting the public and cutting the annual £18 billion cost of reoffending. It is important that our probation system offers the support individuals need to rehabilitate and turn their backs on crime for good.Our reforms, including ambitious recruitment of new probation officers and improvements to caseload management, will enable effective supervision and rehabilitation of people in the system. Probation officer numbers are approaching a four-year high and are at their second-highest level since 2014. We are committed to recruiting 1,000 trainee Probation Officers in 2020/21, with 443 already started in July 2020 and further intakes planned throughout 2021.Wider reforms to the probation system will also support our aim of reducing reoffending and the associated cost to the public. A greater range of resettlement and rehabilitative services will be commissioned regionally and locally from specialist organisations. This will enable the delivery of services that can be tailored to respond to the diverse backgrounds and needs of individuals to effect positive outcomes as well as maximise opportunities for collaboration with local partners, including Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise organisations, local authorities and Police and Crime Commissioners.

Probation: Staff

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation’s report, Caseloads, workloads and staffing levels in probation Services, published in March 2021, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of ensuring that probation staff manage a mix of higher and lower risk cases after the reintegration of community rehabilitation companies into the national probation service.

Alex Chalk: Following our reforms to the probation service, cases will be allocated based on both risk of harm and complexity of need, with an increased focus on ensuring continuity. The new Tiering Framework will inform the allocation of cases to the right Probation Practitioner, meaning staff will handle cases matched to their level of training and expertise. Enabling Probation Practitioners to work with a more diverse range of offenders with different risks and needs will mean staff are able to develop a broader range of skills, which in turn will increase the flexibility of our workforce.Where possible, individuals will remain with the same Probation Practitioner throughout their supervision. This will allow for continuity of contact and support the building of a constructive relationship between practitioners and people on probation, helping them to achieve better outcomes and ultimately avoid reoffending.

Probation: Staff

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation’s report, Caseloads, workloads and staffing levels in probation Services, published in March 2021, how many probation staff have experienced a Workload Measurement Tool capacity of over 120 percent for more than four consecutive weeks in a year for each of the last five years.

Alex Chalk: The Ministry of Justice publishes statistics showing the total caseload of the 20 Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) as well as the National Probation Service (NPS). The latest published figures cover the period from June to September 2020. Figures for the following quarter will be published in due course. Figures for total probation caseload are published quarterly in the Offender Management Statistics Bulletin, England and Wales: https://data.justice.gov.uk/probation/offender-management/caseload-totalSenior Probation Officers monitor the capacity of individuals in their teams regularly. The Workload Measurement Tool is a tool designed to assist a Senior Probation Officer in allocating cases to Probation Practitioners by balancing the workload out amongst their teams. Anyone over 110% for a period of 4 consecutive weeks is deemed to have an excessive workload and we have policies and guidance in place to support managers and staff who meet this threshold.Figures detailing how many probation staff have experienced a Workload Measurement Tool capacity of over 120 percent for more than 4 consecutive weeks in a year for each of the last five years could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Probation: Staff

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation’s report, Caseloads, workloads and staffing levels in probation Services, published in March 2021, what steps he is taking to enable accurate and relevant measurement of probation staff workloads after the reintegration of community rehabilitation companies into the national probation service.

Alex Chalk: Our future model for the probation system is based on enabling our staff to deliver all elements of their role to protect the public and to help people live law abiding lives.We have developed a revised Workload Measurement Tool (WMT) to support Senior Probation Officers to monitor the capacity of their teams. From the point of unification in June the WMT will include CRC caseloads and staff.All staff will deal with work and caseloads that have a range of complexity, matched to their level of training and expertise.

Probation: Staff

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation’s report, Caseloads, workloads and staffing levels in probation Services, published in March 2021, what steps he is taking to reduce the numbers of probation staff with caseloads in excess of (a) 50 cases and (b) 60 cases.

Alex Chalk: A probation worker’s tasks are not based solely on the number of cases they are managing, but the level of supervision each case requires. Capacity of probation officers is regularly monitored by Senior Probation Officers and line managers. We have policies and guidance in place to support managers and staff who are deemed to have an excessive workload.However, we know that workloads for many probation officers are too high, which is why we are ambitious in our recruitment of additional staff. We are committed to recruiting 1,000 trainee Probation Officers in 2020/21, with 443 already having started in July 2020 and further intakes planned for 2021.Our planned reforms for the probation system will enable our staff to deliver all elements of their role, protect the public and help people live law abiding lives. All staff will deal with work and caseloads that have a range of complexity, matched to their level of training and expertise.

Probation: Staff

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation’s report, Caseloads, workloads and staffing levels in probation Services, published in March 2021, what assessment he has made of the effect of reintegration of community rehabilitation companies into the national probation service on the (a) mean caseloads and (b) distribution of caseloads for (i) probation services officers and (ii) probation officers.

Alex Chalk: Our future model for the probation system is based on enabling our staff to deliver all elements of their role to protect the public and to help people live law abiding lives, rather than an average caseload per probation staff member. Consolidating probation services into one organisation will enable staff to work with a more diverse range of people on probation with different needs and develop a broader range of skills, which in turn will increase the flexibility of our workforce. All staff will deal with work and caseloads that have a range of complexity, matched to their level of training and expertise.We are also increasing our recruitment of trainee probation officers to unprecedented levels in order to meet increased demand on the system. We have committed to recruiting 1,000 trainee Probation Officers in 2020/21, with 443 already started in July 2020 and further intakes planned throughout 2021. This increase will help to ensure that probation officers have the capacity to effectively manage their caseload.

Criminal Proceedings

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to improve its (a) estimate of and (b) support for people with neurodiversity in the criminal justice system.

Alex Chalk: We are committed to ensuring the Criminal Justice System (CJS) treats all those who encounter it fairly – including neurodivergent individuals. That is why my department has commissioned an independent Call for Evidence (CfE) to obtain a clearer picture of neurodiversity throughout the CJS, including police, with the final report due to be published in early Summer 2021.The CfE will help us to both estimate and examine the national provision and identify areas of good practice for neurodivergence within the CJS. This will enable us to understand what happens to neurodivergent people now and how we can better support them to realise better outcomes.The MoJ is currently working across government as part of the Cabinet Office-led National Strategy for Disabled People. This represents a real opportunity to feed in policy developed from the findings from the CfE and develop a cross-government wide approach to support people with disabilities including neurodivergent individuals.My department is also contributing to the Department of Health and Social Care’s refresh of the cross-government Autism Strategy. Our contribution to the strategy will include work to improve data capture on autism, and to increase – through training and awareness – the ability of prison and probation staff to better understand and support these individuals.

Mental Health Act 2007

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to reform the Mental Health Act 2007.

Alex Chalk: Reforming the Mental Health Act (MHA) remains a priority for this Government. In January, the Department of Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Justice published a consultative White Paper setting out proposals for landmark reform of the MHA. The White Paper responds to the recommendations made by the Independent Review of the MHA, chaired by Sir Simon Wessely. Among other reforms, this includes commitments to ensure that those with serious mental health problems in the criminal justice system are able to access the care and treatment they need in the right setting, and as quickly as possible. The Government is currently consulting widely on the proposals, including with service users, carers and professionals. The consultation ends 21 April 2021. This will inform the development of a Mental Health Bill.

Probation: Coronavirus

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department has taken to help ensure delivery of probation services during covid-19 lockdowns.

Alex Chalk: Throughout the pandemic the Probation Service has prioritised public protection and risk management, as well as delivery of advice to courts in all regions, whilst ensuring staff, people on probation and victims remain safe. A Gold, Silver and Bronze structure was quickly put into place to enable fast-paced decisions to be taken in response to the emerging situation, providing an agile approach. Exceptional Delivery Models, which set out how we operate key aspects of our work during the pandemic and ensured services could be continued, were developed and implemented across England and Wales. Exceptional Delivery Models allow Regional Probation Directors to take decisions locally regarding what their teams deliver, based on the individual circumstances of their regions. Guided by public health advice, we took immediate, decisive action to implement a suite of measures to respond to the pandemic, moving to a mixture of face to face and remote methods. In-person socially distanced offender reporting has continued to be the default for people on probation who pose a higher risk, for example Terrorism Act offenders. After our initial response to Covid, we reintroduced services as and when appropriate. We continued to rebuild throughout the year, however in response to the most recent national restrictions introduced in January we again reduced our face to face service delivery. We are now once again increasing the delivery of face to face services as appropriate. Compared with the first set of national restrictions imposed last spring, Probation is now in a much stronger position to supervise offenders effectively during the pandemic. Developments like asymptomatic Covid testing of staff and people on probation, regular risk assessments of staff with vulnerabilities, Covid-secure offices, social distancing, and use of personal protective equipment are allowing us to continue to deliver probation services even within heightened restrictions, while ensuring staff and service users remain safe. The development of new approaches such as blended supervision (a mixture of face to face and remote contact), Alternative Delivery Models for Accredited Programmes, and innovative ways of delivering unpaid work in Covid safe ways have also significantly increased our ability to deliver during the pandemic. HM Inspectorate of Probation published a thematic review of Exceptional Delivery Model arrangements in November 2020 and of Probation Recovery in February 2021. Both reports praised our response to the pandemic.

Powers of Attorney

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many spot check investigations his Department has carried out to check Lasting Powers of Attorney are in line with the wishes of those in whose names an application is made, in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Alex Chalk: The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) is the registering authority for Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs) and has a statutory duty to maintain a register of Powers of Attorney and Deputyship orders. OPG has authority under Section 58 of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) to investigate concerns that are raised about the circumstances surrounding the execution of an LPA, either before or after registration.While OPG does not conduct spot checks, the creation of an LPA requires witnessing and in addition a Certificate Provider must attest that the person making the LPA understands and consents to its contents.

Department for International Trade

Department for International Trade: Iron and Steel

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate she has made of the level of UK-produced steel procured by his Department and associated departmental public bodies and agencies in (a) 2019-20 and (b) 2020-21.

Greg Hands: The Department for International Trade (DIT) does not have any procurements classified as Major Projects to which the steel reporting applies.The Department does not have any departmental public bodies or agencies.

Pâté de Foie Gras: Imports and Sales

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether she has plans to ban the (a) importation and (b) sale of foie gras produced from the force-feeding of ducks and geese following the UK's departure from the EU; and if she will make a statement.

Greg Hands: The Government has made clear that force feeding for the production of foie gras from ducks or geese raises serious welfare concerns.Production is banned in the UK as it is incompatible with domestic legislation, including the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which makes it a criminal offence not to provide for an animal's welfare needs and to allow an animal to suffer unnecessarily.The Government is committed to upholding our high standards. Now our relationship with the European Union has been established, the Government is considering further steps it could take in relation to foie gras.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Wolverhampton

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what criteria he used when deciding to establish his Department's new headquarters in Wolverhampton.

Eddie Hughes: A number of factors were considered when deciding the location of the Department's additional headquarters. The choice of Wolverhampton, which builds on the Department's existing strong presence in the West Midlands region, supports the Government’s commitment to levelling up..

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Midlands

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, where his Department's offices, including arm’s length bodies, are currently located in (a) the West Midlands and (b) the East Midlands.

Eddie Hughes: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) currently has one office in the West Midlands, in central Birmingham. Three MHCLG arm’s-length-bodies are located in the West Midlands. The Regulator of Social Housing in Birmingham, and Social Care Ombudsman, and Homes England in Coventry. The Department has one office in the East Midlands, in Nottingham.In February, we confirmed that the Government will create a second headquarters in Wolverhampton with at least 500 MHCLG Group roles set to be based across the West Midlands by 2025 – with further increases planned by 2030.The new HQ in Wolverhampton will include the presence of ministers – making it the first such ministerial office outside of London with a regular ministerial presence. Senior civil servants will also be based in Wolverhampton, ensuring this becomes a centre for policy development and decision making.This is a significant increase on the 300 roles currently in the region and is part of plans to have at least 800 roles outside of London by 2030 – including 50% of the most senior positions. This will ensure that more local voices are reflected in the creation of government policy.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund: Northern Ireland

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he plans to take to ensure that the branding of UK Shared Prosperity Fund expenditure in Northern Ireland is sensitive to the particular circumstances of the region.

Luke Hall: The UK Shared Prosperity Fund will help to level up and create opportunity across the UK for places most in need, such as ex-industrial areas, deprived towns and rural and coastal communities, and for people who face labour market barriers. The UK Government has a responsibility to support the economic health of people, businesses and communities across the whole of our United Kingdom. The UK Government is committed to ensuring the fund is delivered in a way that works for the whole of the UK.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund: Northern Ireland

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment his Department has made of the importance of the interface between the delivery of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and the EU's INTERREG and PEACE programme funding in Northern Ireland.

Luke Hall: The UK Shared Prosperity Fund will help to level up and create opportunity across the UK for places most in need, such as ex-industrial areas, deprived towns and rural and coastal communities, and for people who face labour market barriers. The UK Government intends to work with the devolved administrations and other stakeholders to ensure that the UK Shared Prosperity Fund is used to its best effect, including ensuring it works effectively alongside other funding streams, and supports citizens across the UK. Devolved administrations will be represented on the governance structures for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund: Northern Ireland

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how section 75 requirements under the Northern Ireland Act 1998 will be taken into account in the design of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Luke Hall: The UK Shared Prosperity Fund will help to level up and create opportunity across the UK for places most in need, such as ex-industrial areas, deprived towns and rural and coastal communities, and for people who face labour market barriers. We recognise the importance of not only meeting our obligations under the Equality Act 2010 but also giving due regard to the additional equalities considerations that apply in Northern Ireland.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund: Northern Ireland

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of not having participated in the Community Renewal Fund on the extent to which Northern Ireland may benefit from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Luke Hall: The UK Community Renewal Fund is a UK-wide fund which aims to support people and communities most in need across the UK to pilot programmes and new approaches and will invest in skills, community and place, local business, and supporting people into employment. The UK Government is taking a different approach to delivering the UK Community Renewal Fund in Northern Ireland compared to Great Britain, to take account of the different local government landscape in Northern Ireland. Project applicants in Northern Ireland will submit bids directly to the UK Government for assessment and approval. The UK Community Renewal Fund will help inform the design of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund through funding of one year pilots, but the Funds are distinct in regard to design, eligibility and duration.

EU Grants and Loans

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what mapping exercise his Department has undertaken to understand (a) the existing pattern and (b) types of schemes and programmes that have been supported by EU Structural Funds.

Luke Hall: The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government maintains a list of those benefiting from the Fund at www.gov.uk/government/publications/european-structural-and-investment-funds-useful-resources . This list includes information on the beneficiary, the type of investment and where the beneficiary is located.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund: Northern Ireland

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with community and voluntary groups in Northern Ireland on the design of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Luke Hall: The UK Shared Prosperity Fund will help to level up and create opportunity across the UK in places most in need, such as ex-industrial areas, deprived towns and rural and coastal communities, and for people who face labour market barriers. Officials have held 25 engagement events across the UK, attended by over five hundred representatives from a breadth of sectors including businesses, public bodies, higher education institutions, voluntary and charity sector and rural partnership groups including many in Northern Ireland.

Local Government: Meetings

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to make a decision on whether to extend The Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority and Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 to allow local authorities to meet online beyond the 7 May 2021.

Luke Hall: On the 25 March 2021, the Government announced the regulations made under Section 78 of the Coronavirus Act which do not apply to meetings after 6 May.Extending the regulations to meetings after this date would require primary legislation.We have considered the case for legislation carefully, including the significant impact it would have on the Government’s legislative programme which is already under severe pressure in these unprecedent times. We are also mindful of the excellent progress that has been made on our vaccination programme and the announcement of the Government’s roadmap for lifting COVID-19 restrictions. Given this context, the Government has concluded that it is not possible to bring forward emergency legislation on this issue at this time.

Levelling Up Fund

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reason deprivation is not part of the weighting for bids for the Levelling Up Fund.

Luke Hall: The £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund will prioritise bids from places in England, Scotland and Wales with the most significant need. This is measured by an index taking into account the following place characteristics: need for economic recovery and growth; need for improved transport connectivity; and need for regeneration. Using this index, places have been placed into category 1, 2, or 3, with category 1 representing places with the highest levels of identified need. These metrics are focussed on identifying places most in need of the type of investment offered through the Levelling Up Fund – including towns centre and high street regeneration, small scale transport projects, and investment in local culture and heritage assets. A methodology note has been published and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/levelling-up-fund-additional-documents/levelling-up-fund-prioritisation-of-places-methodology-note

Ministry of Defence

Shipbuilding

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to support small, independent ship builders.

Jeremy Quin: In his role as Shipbuilding Tsar the Secretary of State for Defence is firmly committed to reinvigorating the entire UK shipbuilding enterprise, including small shipbuilders. He is working closely with colleagues across Government to support the sector. For example, on 22 March 2021 the Department for Transport launched the £20 million Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition. This will fund feasibility studies and initial technology trials in clean maritime technologies, such as the UK design and development of zero emission vessels, which will help put the UK shipbuilding supply chain at the forefront of the global green industrial revolution. The Government has also announced its intent to publish an updated National Shipbuilding Strategy. This will set out the how the Government will create the conditions for success for all parts of the shipbuilding enterprise.

HMS Scott

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to replace HMS Scott.

Jeremy Quin: The out of service date for HMS Scott has not changed as a result of the Integrated Review. Current plans will see SCOTT retired from service in 2022. As part of the Government's investment in shipbuilding, which increases to over £1.7 billion a year this Parliament, we will procure a Multi-role Ocean Surveillance Ship (MROS) to replace HMS Scott.

Minesweepers

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the planned dates are for the replacement of current Hunt and Sandown mine countermeasures vessels.

Jeremy Quin: The Sandown and Hunt class Mine Counter-Measure Vessels will be withdrawn from service over the next 10 years as the new Mine Hunting Capability comes into service, maintaining operational outputs.

Marines

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Integrated Review, published on 16 March 2021, what the establishment figure is for the Royal Marines in (a) 2021, (b) 2024 and (c) 2030.

James Heappey: As at the 1 January 2021, the current Full Time Trained Strength of the Royal Marines is 5,968. No decisions have been made on the future size of the Royal Marines. As the Royal Marines transition into the Future Commando Force and turn to new upgraded and autonomous capabilities, there is the potential for the workforce structure to change in the future.

Indo-Pacific Region: Integrated Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy Review

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 32 of the Integrated Review, Defence Command Paper, which UK defence programmes will be exported to countries in the Indo-Pacific region.

James Heappey: Exporting world-leading UK expertise through capacity building and training with partner forces is an integral part of our Indo-Pacific engagement. The UK's varied training offer is developed in consultation with our partners and tailored to their specific needs. It will continue to feature Professional Military Education - including Initial Officer Training - to build strong and responsible regional military leadership, as well as subject-specific training on everything from peacekeeping, to preventing sexual violence in conflict, to counter-terrorism and maritime security.

Ministry of Defence: Land

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to publish the Land Industrial Strategy; and if he will publish what engagement the British Army has had with the private sector on the design of that strategy.

Jeremy Quin: We have welcomed the evidence provided by the private sector in support of the Defence and Security Industrial Strategy (DSIS). This evidence has helped shape the design of the DSIS, which I was pleased to announce on 23 March. We are now developing the Land Industrial Strategy over the coming year. The team will consult with the private sector in maturing its design.

Department for Work and Pensions

Unemployment: West Midlands

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people aged 16 to 35 have become unemployed between March 2020 and March 2021 in (a) Birmingham, Edgbaston constituency, (b) Birmingham and (c) the West Midlands.

Mims Davies: The most up-to-date relevant information is provided by the Claimant Count. This is available for 16-34 year olds for Feb 2021 at:https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp  Guidance for users can be found at:https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp

Health Services and Social Services: Young People

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department has taken to offer employment opportunities in the health and social care sectors to young people affected by reductions in employment opportunities as a result of the covid-19 outbreak; and how many and what proportion of employment opportunities made available through the Kickstarter programme are jobs in the health and social care sectors.

Mims Davies: The Department for Work and Pensions’ are actively promoting roles within the Health and Social Care sector via Work Coach conversations, resources on the DWP’s JobHelp website and a range of provision. As part of A Plan for Jobs, DWP’s Sector-Based Work Academy Programmes were expanded to include an additional £17m to support 32,000 more vocational training placements in 2020/21. Employers are also offering many Kickstart jobs in the Health and Social Care sector. I refer the honourable member to PQ 167248 for a breakdown of Kickstart jobs per sector.

Universal Credit: Work Capability Assessment

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of people in 2019 who were sanctioned while challenging a negative universal credit work capability assessment decision due to being unable to meet their claimant commitments.

Mims Davies: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claims were closed in 2019 as a result of claimants not accepting their claimant commitment before first being offered the opportunity to accept those commitments over the telephone.

Mims Davies: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. All Universal Credit claimants are required to accept a Claimant Commitment as a condition of entitlement. Claimants’ obligations are recorded in one place, clarifying both what they are expected to do in return for benefits and support, and exactly what happens if they fail to comply. Claimant commitments will be reasonable for this unprecedented time, reflecting the reality of a person’s local jobs market, the local/national public health guidelines and personal circumstances to help prepare them for getting back into work. Those who have declared a health condition that restricts their ability to work, including those who are shielding and clinically extremely vulnerable, will not be required to be available for work. These claimants will have their conditionality tailored to ensure it is reasonable. This may includeswitching off conditionality altogether where appropriate.

Kickstart Scheme

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2021 to Question 169973, on Kickstart Scheme, if she will provide a breakdown of the 6,000 Kickstart placement starts by sector.

Mims Davies: We are currently unable to publish a breakdown of job starts by sector for the Kickstart Scheme.However, we have published a list of available Kickstart vacancies by sector. I refer the hon. Member to PQ 167248.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Countryside

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress the Government has made on its policy to rewild areas of the countryside; and if he will make a statement.

Rebecca Pow: Re-wilding generally refers to actions that restore natural processes to create and sustain rich ecosystems, sometimes with a species recovery component where appropriate. The Government is supporting a number of initiatives to create wilder landscapes across England, as part of a broader approach to nature recovery. For example, the Knepp Wildland project in West Sussex shows what can be achieved with re-wilding approaches, where the creation of extensive grassland and scrub habitats has significantly benefited declining bird species like the nightingale or the turtle dove. Over the past three years, we have allocated £10 million to deliver approximately 6,000 hectares of peatland restoration for projects in England. In March 2020, the Chancellor announced England’s biggest ever investment in peat and tree planting through the £640 million Nature for Climate Fund. We are using a proportion of this to restore 35,000 hectares of peatland over the next five years. We will also initiate ten Landscape Recovery projects between 2022 and 2024 to help restore wilder landscapes. The focus will be on large-scale sites where there are opportunities significantly to enhance the landscape to deliver a wide range of environmental outcomes.

Fisheries: Finance

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason his Department drafted the fisheries support scheme conditions to exclude sail-powered fisheries from being eligible for financial support.

Victoria Prentis: The Government is delivering support to catching and shellfish aquaculture businesses affected by the impact of Covid-19 or new trading conditions via the Seafood Response Fund. In order to ensure that funding is targeted only at businesses which are dependent on fishing as their main source of income, the criteria for the scheme specify that all beneficiaries must have at least £10,000 in seafood catch sales. In order to verify that businesses meet the criteria and that the scheme represents value for money for the taxpayer, we must rely on a combination of sales data, vessel licensing data and reference data for calculating average fixed costs for that class of vessel. Businesses, including sail-powered fisheries businesses, whose vessel is not licensed or registered for the commercial activity of fisheries, and for whom we do not hold sales data to demonstrate they meet the sales threshold, are not eligible for the scheme. Such businesses, however, may still be eligible for wider Government support for organisations impacted by Covid-19.

Environmental Land Management Scheme

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with representatives from organic farms during the design of the Environmental Land Management scheme.

Victoria Prentis: We are working closely with a range of environmental and agricultural stakeholders collaboratively to design the new schemes that reward environmental benefits. The new schemes will fairly compensate farmers for environmental goods generated across all land types and farm management systems, including organic farms. Several representatives of the organic sector are involved in codesigning the schemes in a variety of ways, including being part of our stakeholder and codesign groups, as well as separate one to one and small group meetings.

Equine Herpes Virus

David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what further steps his Department plans to take to help tackle equine EHV1 infections.

Victoria Prentis: The Government is aware of the outbreak of Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1) in Europe and is working closely with the equine sector to ensure owners are aware of the risks and are taking the necessary precautions to keep their animals safe. Equine Herpes Virus (EHV) is not notifiable and isolation of sick animals is the best protection against infection. There is no public health risk. Horse owners are advised to contact their private vet if they observe any respiratory illness, abortion or neurological signs in horses or ponies in their care or would like to discuss options for vaccination against the disease. All horses imported into the UK are required to be certified as being fit to travel and not to have originated from premises where disease is known to be present. Any horses imported into the UK should be placed in isolation for at least 10 days before allowing them to mix with other equines. Comprehensive industry advice and guidance on biosecurity and vaccination is available online and the Animal and Plant Health Agency international trade team is, on behalf of Defra, writing to anyone wishing to import any equine from Europe to remind them of this guidance and strongly recommend that it is followed.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Iron and Steel

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the level of UK-produced steel procured by his Department and associated departmental public bodies and agencies in (a) 2019-20 and (b) 2020-21.

Victoria Prentis: The Government is working with the steel industry, the unions and devolved administrations to support the UK steel sector to develop a long-term sustainable future. This includes making sure that UK producers of steel have the best possible chance of competing for and winning contracts across all Government procurement. BEIS collates and publishes annually information on how much steel is purchased for Government’s major infrastructure projects in the previous financial year, including what proportion is UK-produced. We have collated the 2019/20 data and expect to publish later this year. We will start collating the data on UK steel procured in 2020/21 in due course.

Ash Dieback Disease: Wakefield

Imran Ahmad Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with representatives of Wakefield Council on ash dieback in that local authority area.

Victoria Prentis: The Forestry Commission is engaged with Wakefield Council through their Arboricultural Officer in the planning team. The Officer attended a Tree Health event in January which was run by the Forestry Commission in partnership with Sheffield City Council, Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust and Amey. The event focused on a number of tree health issues including Ash Dieback, woodland resilience and future species choice. On 12 March 2021 Defra announced the Local Authority Treescapes Fund to increase tree planting and natural regeneration in local communities. £2.7 million will be available this year (2021/22), building the pipeline of projects for community planting in future years. The fund is part of the Government’s Nature for Climate Fund. Local authorities can apply for funding to build back greener from the pandemic and will target landscapes that have been ecologically damaged or affected by tree diseases like ash dieback.

Plastics: Packaging

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to encourage a shift from conventional single use plastic films to certified compostable alternatives; and if he will set a target under the Environment Bill to accelerate that process.

Rebecca Pow: While compostable materials may be seen as a solution to reduce the impact of waste, they can also be more environmentally damaging than non-compostable materials if disposed of incorrectly. The Government is concerned that, some claims about the compostability of plastic-based products cannot be verified. In order to consider impacts carefully, Defra and BEIS published a call for evidence to help us consider the development of standards or certification criteria for bio-based, biodegradable, and compostable plastics, and to better understand their effects on the environment and our waste management system. We are currently analysing responses to the call for evidence and will publish the Government’s response shortly. Our Resources and Waste Strategy sets out our ambition to transition to a circular economy by keeping resources in the system for longer and extracting maximum value from them, before recycling materials when they can no longer be reused. We have recently published consultations on introducing Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging and introducing a Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers. These consultations will inform policy that will transform the economic incentives on packaging producers by encouraging an increase in the amount and quality of unavoidable plastic packaging that is recycled or reused, so driving up recycling rates and helping to move us towards a circular economy. We are also preparing to launch a second consultation on increasing the consistency of materials collected for recycling from households, businesses and other organisations in England, which will seek views on the collection and disposal of compostable and biodegradable materials and the recycling of plastic films. The UK Plastics Pact is targeting plastic film as a coordinated effort involving the entire value chain to fix the system to create a circular economy for single use plastic films. Last year the Plastics Pact published a roadmap ‘Creating a Circular Economy for Flexible Plastic Packaging’, which sets out the high-level actions that need to be taken by each part of the value chain. The new roadmap sets out five key areas where efforts should be focused in order to develop a circular economy for flexible plastics. These are: designing packaging that can be recycled and sorted; capitalising on existing front of store collection points; implementing kerbside collection by all local authorities; investing in sorting and reprocessing capacity and capabilities; and ensuring strong and stable end markets for recycled flexible plastic packaging. The Environment Bill requires the Government to set at least one long-term, legally binding target in four priority areas, including Resource Efficiency and Waste Reduction. This will not be focused on increasing the use of compostable plastics, instead the target will ensure a holistic approach to all materials. These targets will be set following a robust, evidence-led process that includes seeking independent expert advice, a role for stakeholders and the public, and parliamentary scrutiny.

Wildlife

Stuart Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what safeguards are in place to ensure that companies who are granted wildlife licences by Natural England carry out an acceptable standard of work under those licences; and what compensation is available to help protect consumers against excessive expenses in the event that those services so provided are not adequate.

Rebecca Pow: Wildlife licensing authorities assess applications to conduct otherwise unlawful activities impacting protected species. The assessment of an application focuses on the justification for the activity and the consequences for the protected species. It is commonplace for this assessment to consider the suitability of an applicant for a licence to conduct the proposed works, as this is relevant to the conservation and welfare of protected species, but the emphasis is on the consequences for the wildlife, and not the service provided by that person or company. There are no provisions within wildlife legislation in England concerning compensation for inadequate service for activities conducted under a wildlife licence. Anyone engaging the services of a third party to conduct licensed works is encouraged to check the experience and qualifications of service provider and to get more than one quote for the work. It is also worth considering employing a member of a relevant professional body as membership of such bodies is typically subject to professional standards and may include recourse to a complaints procedure regarding the conduct of members.

Rivers: Pollution

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he made on the extent of Sphaerotilus natans in rivers in England.

Rebecca Pow: Sphaerotilus natans is an aquatic periphyton organism associated with polluted water. It forms colonies commonly known as "sewage fungus", but can be associated with different types of organic pollution such as from agriculture or some industrial effluents. The Environment Agency does not have a specific monitoring programme for sewage fungus itself, but it is used as an indicator of pollution when the Environment Agency responds to pollution incidents, and when it carries out wastewater treatment works or storm overflow inspections. If observed the presence of sewage fungus would usually be recorded by monitoring teams when carrying routine ecological and chemical monitoring. The extent of sewage fungus is often used in evidence as an indicator of gross pollution when taking action under the Environment Agency’s enforcement and sanctions policy.

Wildlife: Conservation

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to (a) protect and (b) promote (i) hedgehogs, (ii) red squirrels, (iii) water voles, (iv) dormice and other native species in the UK.

Rebecca Pow: The Government is committed to taking action to recover our threatened native species, such as hedgehogs, red squirrels, water voles and dormice. Our Environment Bill includes measures that will help improve the status of threatened species, including setting at least one biodiversity target in law. The Bill will also strengthen the biodiversity duty on public authorities to take action to conserve and enhance biodiversity.Additionally, through our net gain provisions in the Bill, we are supporting the role of new development in helping protect and create the habitat that our native species need to thrive.We continue to work with stakeholders to determine the specific actions that will be paid for by our new schemes that will reward environmental land management. The Agricultural Transition Plan sets out examples of the types of actions that we envisage paying for under the schemes, including creating, managing and restoring habitats such as woodland, heathland and species-rich grassland, which could all benefit native species.Furthermore, Defra and Natural England are bringing together partners, legislation and funding to create the Nature Recovery Network. Through this work, by 2042 we will create or restore 500,000 hectares of additional wildlife-rich habitat which will benefit our native species.

Poaching: Animal Housing

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to amend the Game Act 1831 to enable the police to recover the kennelling costs incurred where dogs have been seized.

Rebecca Pow: The Government is aware of various proposals which have been made to amend the Game Act. and will continue its discussions with all those concerned, whilst considering what further action could be taken.

Horses: Republic of Ireland

Dr Neil Hudson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many horses entered the UK from the Republic of Ireland in each month from January 2020 to February 2021 inclusive.

Victoria Prentis: The Animal and Plant Health Agency has completed a report in the Trade Control and Expert System and has not identified any matching consignments of these imports for 2020. The following information is for 2021: MonthTotal Number of EquinesJan 202191Feb 2021235 There are no records of movements for 2020. The UK, Republic of Ireland and France all formed the Tripartite Agreement and there was no requirement for certification or electronic moves to be recorded. From 1 January 2021,this agreement ceased and export health certification is required for all Equidae moves between the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Horses: Northern Ireland

Dr Neil Hudson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many horses entered Great Britain from Northern Ireland in each month from January 2020 to February 2021 inclusive.

Victoria Prentis: The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has completed a report in the Trade Control and Expert System and the Post Import Management System, and has not identified any matching consignments of these imports for 2020 or 2021. When the TPA was renegotiated between the UK, the Republic of Ireland and France it was decided that there would be no requirement for certification and/or electronic moves to be recorded between the UK and the Republic of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and the UK. Therefore, there are no records held on the number of TPA equidae moves between the UK and the Republic of Ireland on any APHA database or TRACES. This was also the case for all other moves of unregistered Equidae between to UK and Republic of Ireland. As part of the TPA renegotiations, it was determined that no paperwork was required for these moves either. Therefore APHA does not hold any records on these movements. From 1 January 2021, these agreements ceased and export health certification is required for all Equidae moves between the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

Horticulture: Imports

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the preparedness of Border Control Posts for the import inspection of horticulture products.

Victoria Prentis: Since 1 January, high-risk plants have been inspected at their places of destination. Defra is confident that the Border Control Posts (BCPs) will be ready to start physical inspections of high-risk plants and plant products when the new regime of checks commences on 1 January 2022. The BCPs will be ready to start physical inspections of low-risk plants and plant product checks from March 2022. Defra continues to work directly with ports and airports to prepare the necessary infrastructure, staff and IT systems for SPS checks to be completed. We continue to monitor port BCP delivery and will support ports to achieve an initial operating capability as import controls are phased in.The phased implementation reduces risk of BCP infrastructure not being ready and provides Port Health Authorities, importers, hauliers, exporters and their agents, sufficient time to prepare and familiarise themselves with these new requirements.

Dogs: Northern Ireland

Dr Neil Hudson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many dogs entered Great Britain from Northern Ireland in each month from January 2020 to February 2021 inclusive.

Victoria Prentis: APHA have competed a report in the Trade Control and Expert System and the Post Import Management System, and have not identified any matching consignments of these imports for 2020 or 2021. As dogs from Northern Ireland moving to Great Britain do not require any notification or health certification, we are not able to provide any data regarding this.

Home Office

Drugs: Organised Crime

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps her Department has taken to protect vulnerable children from county lines drugs networks in (a) Slough and (b) the South East.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Office is currently considering a response to this question and will respond shortly.

Social Media: Cryptography

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he has had with (a) Facebook, (b) Google and (c) other social media companies on the introduction of end-to-end encryption within their platforms; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential effect of that encryption on child abuse online.

Victoria Atkins: Ministers and officials have regular contact with technology companies, including Facebook and Google, about the safety of their platforms.The UK supports strong encryption, but we are clear that the implementation of end-to-end encryption which wholly precludes tech companies’ access to content will have a disastrous impact on public safety.As well as preventing law enforcement from securing lawfully authorised access to vital content as part of their investigations, it severely erodes tech companies’ ability to tackle the most serious illegal content on their platforms, including online child sexual exploitation and abuse.All communication service providers must ensure that there will be no reduction to public safety when they implement new technology or other design choices.Facebook’s proposals are of particular concern due to the risk profile of the platform. In 2020 Facebook provided 20.3 million child sexual abuse referrals to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC, the US body which processes industry reports of child sexual abuse). NCMEC’s previous assessment is that 70% of Facebook’s total referrals relate to Messenger and are therefore likely to be lost once that service is end-to-end encrypted.The UK is leading work across the world urging all tech companies to collaborate with governments on mutually agreeable solutions that ensure user privacy is protected.

Internet: Offences against Children

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment the Government has made of the extent of online content that does not meet the criminal threshold, but facilitates abuse and grooming; and what steps she is taking through the Online Safety Bill to tackle that matter.

Victoria Atkins: The Government is firmly committed to making the UK the safest place to be online and taking action against online material that may not be illegal, but is linked to abuse and grooming. We are working across Government and engaging industry to prevent all forms of online child sexual exploitation and abuse. The interim code of practice on online CSEA made clear that we expect companies to already start taking voluntary action against such content, including material that doesn’t meet a criminal threshold. The Online Safety Bill will require companies to ensure the safety of children on their services. They will need to seriously consider the risks their services may pose to children using their services and take action to mitigate this. This will include taking measures against all content that facilitates abuse or grooming of children on their services.The Government is also continuing to engage with technology companies around the Voluntary Principles to Counter Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, a framework of principles launched by the Five Country Ministerial partners in March 2020. These are a set of 11 actions tech firms should take to ensure children are not sexually exploited on their platforms, , including taking steps to stop the livestreaming of abuse and stop grooming and predatory behaviour.

Internet: Offences against Children

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the cross-platform nature of grooming and abuse for children online; and what steps he will take in the forthcoming Bill on online safety to tackle that risk to children.

Victoria Atkins: We are working across Government and engaging industry to prevent all forms of online child sexual exploitation and abuse. The Government is continuing to engage with technology companies around the Voluntary Principles to Counter Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, a framework of principles launched by the Five Country Ministerial partners in March 2020. These are a set of 11 actions tech firms should take to ensure children are not sexually exploited on their platforms. Principle 10 includes how companies should support opportunities to share relevant expertise, helpful practices, data and tools where appropriate and feasible. The strongest protections from harmful or inappropriate content in the Online Safety Bill are for children and young people. These laws will close the gap between what companies say they do, and what they will actually do. All companies in scope will be required to fulfil the duty of care by ensuring that they take reasonably practicable steps to tackle relevant illegal content, and protect children where they are likely to access their services.This includes bearing down on the threat of livestreaming and taking necessary steps to target grooming and the proliferation of child sexual abuse material.We have published the interim code of practice on online child sexual exploitation and abuse, the code will help to ‘bridge the gap’ between Government’s response to the Online Harms White Paper, and the establishment of the independent regulator. This will enable companies to take swift action in tackling the most serious of online harms before the regulator is established.

Home Office: Iron and Steel

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the level of UK-produced steel procured by his Department and associated departmental public bodies and agencies in (a) 2019-20 and (b) 2020-21.

Kevin Foster: No estimate of the level of UK-produced steel procured has been made.We have discussed the procurement of steel with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which has asked all Government departments to consider guidance on steel procurement and to notify of any upcoming opportunities for industry.

Extradition: USA

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2021 to Question 146998, for what reason her Department concluded that the higher population of the US relative to that of the UK naturally results in a lower number of extraditions of US nationals from the US to the UK in absolute terms in comparison to the number of UK nationals extradited from the UK to the US.

Chris Philp: The United States has a population about five times the size of the United Kingdom. The numerical imbalance is to be expected given the balance of overall populations and expatriate populations of the US and the UK. The fact that a larger country has a greater number of live investigations means that it will inevitably produce more extradition requests. It is important to note that comparing numbers of extraditions is not a valid way to assess whether the provisions of a treaty are balanced. The way to do that is to compare the tests and safeguards that apply in the laws of the treaty partners.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

British Overseas Territories: Tourism

Imran Ahmad Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans his Department has to help encourage tourism to British Overseas Territories following the covid-19 pandemic.

Nigel Adams: Responsibility for tourism is devolved to the Overseas Territories Governments. The British Government supports strong cultural links with the Overseas Territories, which attract many visitors from the United Kingdom each year.The UK Government has supported the Overseas Territories throughout the pandemic, and the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office have been coordinating the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to the Territories which will be essential to help reopen their economies and borders.

British Overseas Territories: Biodiversity

Imran Ahmad Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to increase biodiversity in the British Overseas Territories.

Nigel Adams: Environmental policy is a devolved responsibility. However the UK works in partnership with the Overseas Territories (OTs) to deliver both OT- specific objectives and to contribute to wider regional and international environmental commitments. Since 2012, the UK Government's Darwin Plus Programme has committed £22m towards 122 individual projects in the UK Overseas Territories, aimed at conserving and protecting unique and globally significant species and habitats.There are a number of funding streams available to the British Overseas Territories to support the protection and management of their natural resources, including Darwin Plus (also known as The Overseas Territories Environment and Climate Fund), with an annual budget of £10 million from 2021. The Conflict, Stability and Security Fund has also provided funding from 2016-2021 for a number of environmental projects such as the Blue Belt of marine protection around the OTs. Other environmental projects include assessing renewable and non-renewable natural assets (natural capital); implementing actions plans to protect fragile coral reefs and non-native species, and biosecurity measures to prevent the introduction and spread of harmful species to new environments.

Pakistan: Religious Freedom

Imran Ahmad Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to support freedom of religion in Pakistan.

Nigel Adams: The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities around the globe. Promoting the right to FoRB is one of the UK's longstanding human rights priorities.We continue to urge the Government of Pakistan at senior levels to guarantee the fundamental rights of all its citizens, regardless of their religion or belief. Most recently, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for South Asia and Human Rights, raised the need to promote respect for all religions with Pakistan's Special Representative for Religious Harmony, Tahir Ashrafi, on 23 March. Lord Ahmad also raised our concerns on Freedom of Religion or Belief in Pakistan with the Minister for Human Rights, Dr Shireen Mazari, on 20 February.The UK works within the UN, OSCE, Council of Europe, and the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance ("the Alliance") to promote and protect FoRB for all. Lord Ahmad underlined the UK's commitment to FoRB for all at a number of international meetings in November 2020, speaking at the intergovernmental Ministerial to Advance FoRB and the Ministers' Forum of the Alliance. On 20 December 2020, the Prime Minister reaffirmed his personal commitment to the issue by appointing Fiona Bruce MP as his Special Envoy for FoRB.

North Korea: Religious Freedom

Imran Ahmad Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to support freedom of religion in North Korea.

Nigel Adams: The UK continues to have strong concerns about the lack of freedom of religion or belief in North Korea. We continue to urge North Korea to uphold its human rights obligations and engage substantively with the international community on this issue. We regularly raise our concerns directly with the North Korean authorities and at the UN, including most recently through the Human Rights Council in March 2021.The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities. Promoting the right to FoRB is one of the UK's longstanding human rights priorities.The Minister responsible for Human Rights, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, underlined the UK's commitment to FoRB for all in a number of international meetings in November 2020, speaking at the Ministerial to Advance FoRB and the Ministers' Forum of the Alliance. On 20 December 2020, the Prime Minister reaffirmed his commitment to FoRB by appointing Fiona Bruce MP as his Special Envoy for FoRB. Mrs Bruce represents the UK at meetings of the Alliance who work to advocate for the rights of individuals being discriminated against or persecuted on the basis of their faith or belief.In 2019, the Bishop of Truro released a report commissioned by the then Foreign Secretary looking into the then FCO support for persecuted Christians, with recommendations to improve the lives of people persecuted for their religion, faith or belief. One of those recommendations related to the establishment of the UK's Global Human Rights sanctions regime. This regime came into effect on 6 July 2020 and allows us to designate those who commit serious human rights abuses or violations, including those who target individuals on the grounds of their religion or belief. We take decisions about whether particular individuals or entities could be subject to measures under the regime on a case-by-case basis. We have already designated two entities involved in administering the North Korean penal system.

China: Uighurs

Imran Ahmad Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to support freedom of religion in the Xinjiang province of China.

Nigel Adams: The Government remains gravely concerned about the human rights situation in Xinjiang, including the systematic restrictions on Uyghur culture and the practice of Islam. The UK is committed to taking robust action to hold China to account for its human rights violations in the region. On 22 March, the Foreign Secretary announced that the UK has imposed, under the UK's Global Human Rights sanctions regime, asset freezes and travel bans against four Chinese government officials, as well the Public Security Bureau of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, the organisation responsible for enforcing the repressive security policies across many areas of Xinjiang. The Government has repeatedly called on China to respect the freedom of religion and belief in line with its Constitution and its international obligations.

African Union: Overseas Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to Answer of 18 March 2021 to Question 168997, on African Union: Overseas Aid, how much ODA was dispersed to the covid-19 Therapeutics Accelerator in 2020-21.

Nigel Adams: The UK has disbursed £5.66 million to the Covid-19 Therapeutics Accelerator in 2020-21.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Iron and Steel

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate he has made of the level of UK-produced steel procured by his Department and associated departmental public bodies and agencies in (a) 2019-20 and (b) 2020-21.

Nigel Adams: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office did not procure steel domestically or internationally in 2019-20 and 2020-21.

Myanmar: Health Services

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he plans to take with (a) the UN and (b) other international partners to ensure that the Myanmar military and police forces do not violate medical neutrality and uphold their obligations under the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Nigel Adams: The UK is appalled at reports that protestors and medical professionals have been subject to attacks by the Myanmar security forces. The violent crackdown on peaceful protesters and the obstruction of medical care-givers is completely unacceptable. The UK has coordinated a strong international response including through the UN Security Council and the G7. We secured a Presidential Statement at the UN Security Council on 10 March which condemned the violent crackdown on peaceful protestors. We are clear that the military must pay the price for their actions, We have worked with partners such as the EU, US and Canada to sanction military officers who are responsible for serious human rights violations and are exploring all options to put pressure on the economic interests of the military.We have used the Burma sanctions regime and the Global Human Rights regime to target those responsible for human rights violations in Myanmar. On Thursday 26 March we imposed sanctions on military owned entity Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited (MEHL), in concert with the US to incur a cost on the military for the coup.

Myanmar: Rohingya

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether a date has been set for making a decision on whether the UK will make an intervention in the Rohingya genocide case at the International Court of Justice.

Nigel Adams: The UK supports the International Criminal Justice (ICJ) process which is putting pressure on Myanmar to protect the Rohingya. We are clear that Myanmar must comply with the provisional measures ruling. We have reiterated our support to the ICJ process in Parliament, at the UN Security Council, and through public statements. We provided funding to enable Rohingya refugees to attend the ICJ hearing in December 2019. We are monitoring developments closely and have not yet decided whether to intervene. The rules governing an intervention are set out in the Statute and Rules of Court of the ICJ. Myanmar filed preliminary objections on 20 January 2021, and the Gambia now has until 20 May 2021 to file observations and submissions on those objections. The Court has not yet determined the timetable beyond that point.

Amritsar Massacre

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make it his policy to issue a statement of formal apology for the 1919 Amritsar Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

Nigel Adams: We recognise how deeply people feel about the events of 1919 at Jallianwala Bagh. The UK Government condemned the incident at the time and former Prime Minister Theresa May made a statement on 10 April 2019 expressing our deep regret. We are committed to ensuring that what took place on 13 April 1919 is never forgotten. It is right that we continue to pay respect to those who lost their lives, remember what happened and learn lessons from the past, while recognising that, today, the UK and India enjoy a flourishing partnership.

Bangladesh: Rohingya

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support his Department is providing to Rohingya refugees who have lost shelter as a result of the fire in Cox’s Bazaar camp on 22 March 2021.

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve fire safety in the refugee camp at Cox’s Bazaar.

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of Rohingya refugees without shelter as a result of the fire in Cox’s Bazaar camp on 22 March 2021.

Nigel Adams: Assessments of the impact of the fire on 22 March in Kutapalong camp in Cox's Bazar are still underway. It appears that approximately 45,000 Rohingya refugees may have been made homeless, with around 10,000 shelters destroyed. Through our High Commission in Dhaka and our Humanitarian Adviser in Cox's Bazar, we are working closely with the UN and our implementing partners to fully understand the scale of the needs of the affected refugees and how best we can support the refugees' immediate needs. These include shelter, and access to food, water, non-food items and healthcare.

Myanmar: Private Military and Security Companies

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is aware of British companies providing insurance, reinsurance, financial services or consultancy services to Myanmar military companies; and whether the Government is taking steps to prevent British companies from providing such services to the military.

Nigel Adams: The Foreign Secretary and International Trade Secretary have written to UK companies active in Myanmar to make clear the expectation that they do not do business with the military through their trading relationships. HMG expects them to conduct due diligence to ensure that they aren't supporting any military linked businesses.As set out in the written ministerial statement of 25 February, we are reviewing our approach to Trade and Investment in Myanmar, and while that review takes place have suspended all trade promotion activity.

Myanmar: Freezing of Assets

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government has taken steps to freeze assets of the Government of Myanmar in the UK, including all bank accounts and properties.

Nigel Adams: We have imposed travel bans and asset freezes on nine senior military officers responsible for serious human rights violations during the coup. This is in addition to the 16 individuals previously designated for serious human rights violations in Myanmar. It is the Myanmar military that are responsible for the coup and the abhorrent human rights violations associated with it and we are determined to impose a cost on them. We will consider all tools at our disposal, including further sanctions on individuals and entities.We have used the Burma sanctions regime and the Global Human Rights regime to target those responsible for human rights violations in Myanmar. On Thursday 26 March we imposed sanctions on military owned entity Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited (MEHL), in concert with the US to incur a cost on the military for the coup.

Palestinians: Terrorism

Robert Largan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if the UK will issue a condemnation of the alleged payment of salaries to prisoners convicted of terrorist offences by the Palestinian Authority.

James Cleverly: No UK aid is used for prisoner payments to Palestinian prisoners or their families. We continue to raise the need for reform to the prisoner payments system to become more needs-based, transparent and affordable.

Gaza: Hamas

Robert Largan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for regional stability of the re-election of Yahya Sinwar as Hamas's leader in the Gaza Strip.

James Cleverly: The UK continues to monitor the situation closely and retains a policy of no contact with Hamas in its entirety. We continue to call upon Hamas to end permanently their incitement and indiscriminate attacks against Israel.

Egypt: Press Freedom

Imran Ahmad Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to help encourage freedom of the press in Egypt.

James Cleverly: Promoting media freedom is a priority for the UK in Egypt. We regularly raise concerns relating to restrictions on media freedom with the Egyptian authorities, both in private and public, including at Ministerial level. On 12 March the UK participated alongside 30 other countries in making a joint statement on Egypt at the UN Human Rights Council. The statement called on the Egyptian authorities to end the practice of blocking independent media websites and to release all journalists arrested in the course of practicing their profession. We regularly raise the cases of detained journalists with the Egyptian authorities.

Cabinet Office

Weddings: Coronavirus

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what comparative assessment his Department has made of the covid-19 risk from wedding ceremonies in (a) permitted places of worship and some public buildings from 12 April 2021 and (b) outdoor wedding ceremony venues.

Penny Mordaunt: In the COVID-19 Response - Spring 2021, the Government has set out the gradual and cautious approach to reopening different sectors in England, guided by science and the data. We understand the unique significance that marriages and civil partnerships hold in people’s lives, but we have to take necessary steps to limit transmission of COVID-19. This includes restrictions on wedding and civil partnership ceremonies, as well as other forms of social contact. By their very nature, weddings and civil partnership ceremonies are events that bring families and friends together, making them particularly vulnerable to the spread of COVID-19. Alternative wedding ceremonies are permitted in line with the regular wedding or civil partnership rules, in the same locations, at each step. From 29 March, wedding and civil partnership ceremonies can take place indoors or outdoors in COVID-Secure venues that are not expressly closed by the Regulations, or where a broader exemption applies. Only six people are permitted to attend until Step 2, when limits will increase to 15. This approach allows couples to marry in legally binding licensed venues for wedding ceremonies (where outdoor options are limited) while remaining in line with the reopening of sectors and venues as set out in the roadmap. Wedding ceremonies should follow government guidance to reduce the risk of transmission. Receptions (of up to 15 people) can resume from Step 2. The evidence shows that it is safer for people to meet outdoors rather than indoors. That is why receptions are only permitted outdoors at this Step and should be in a COVID-Secure venue. From Step 3, no earlier than 17 May 2021, weddings and civil partnership ceremonies are permitted for up to 30 people in COVID-Secure venues that are not required to close, or where a broader exemption applies. Receptions can also proceed with up to 30 people in a COVID-Secure indoor venue, or outdoors, which includes private gardens. Guidance for wedding and civil partnership receptions and celebrations can be found here - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-small-marriages-and-civil-partnerships/covid-19-guidance-for-wedding-and-civil-partnership-receptions-and-celebrations At each step, the limits on the number of attendees includes children of all ages, but not workers.For further information, please refer to the guidance for small marriages and civil partnerships - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-small-marriages-and-civil-partnerships/covid-19-guidance-for-small-marriages-and-civil-partnerships

Ministers: Codes of Practice

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent representations he has received on the adequacy of the Ministerial Code.

Chloe Smith: The Cabinet Office receives correspondence on a broad range of subjects. Responsibility for the Ministerial Code rests with the Prime Minister.

Elections: Proof of Identity

Cat Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the results of the research carried out by Ipsos Mori for the Cabinet Office under the contract entitled Provision of Research for ID Pilots Survey, that had a start date of 5 March 2019.

Chloe Smith: The results of the Ipsos Mori research conducted in 2019 were published alongside the Cabinet Office evaluation of the 2019 pilots:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-voter-id-pilots-2019

Heart Diseases: Death

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people under the age of 39 died from sudden cardiac death in England in (a) 2019 and (b) 2020.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.UKSAs response to PQ174342 (pdf, 64.5KB)

Memorial 2007

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his oral contribution of 12 November 2020, Official report, column 1047, what steps he has taken to meet representatives of the slavery memorial campaign.

Michael Gove: I am grateful to the hon. Member for raising these issues in the House. The UK deplores the human suffering caused by slavery and the slave trade. They are among the most dishonourable and abhorrent chapters in the history of humanity. I remain eager to meet to discuss this important work when time allows.

Cabinet Office: Iron and Steel

Lucy Powell: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the level of UK-produced steel procured by his Department and associated departmental public bodies and agencies in (a) 2019-20 and (b) 2020-21.

Lucy Powell: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the level of UK-produced steel procured by the Prime Minister's office and associated departmental public bodies and agencies in (a) 2019-20 and (b) 2020-21.

Julia Lopez: There have been no estimates made of the level of UK produced steel procured by GPA on behalf of the Cabinet Office Estates in 2019-20 or 2020-21. At present most steel GPA sources is part of the construction base build of properties under leases and outside of the scope of the procurement rules.

Coronavirus: Death

Bill Esterson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Prime Minister's oral contribution on 15 July 2020, Official Report, column 1514, what progress has been made to establish the format of a potential inquiry into the Government’s handling of the covid-19 outbreak.

Bill Esterson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Prime MInister's oral contribution on 15 July 2020, Official Report, column 1514, what progress has been made to identify the leadership of the inquiry into the Government’s handling of the covid-19 outbreak.

Bill Esterson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Prime Minister's oral contribution on 15 July 2020, Official Report, column 1514, what progress has been made to establish a start date for an inquiry into the Government’s handling of the covid-19 outbreak.

Julia Lopez: COVID-19 is the biggest challenge the UK, together with nations around the world, has faced in decades. Throughout the pandemic, we have consistently adapted our response as we have learnt more about the virus and how best to tackle it. As stated by the Prime Minister on 15 July 2020 'we will seek to learn the lessons of the pandemic in the future, and certainly we will have an independent inquiry into what happened.' Any further updates will be announced in the usual way.

Caravan Sites and Holiday Accommodation: Coronavirus

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to Step two of the Government's guidance, Covid-19 Response-Spring 2021, published on 22 February 2021, whether touring caravans and motor homes will be allowed to access supplies of fresh water and waste disposal facilities at camp sites during that stage; whether self-contained holiday accommodation with more than one bedroom can be occupied by members of two households during that stage; and what assessment he made of the relative risk posed to public health arising from those different options.

Penny Mordaunt: Self contained accommodation is defined as accommodation in which facilities (kitchens, sleeping areas, and indoor lobbies, lifts, staircases, and internal corridors for entry and exit), are exclusive to a single households/support bubbles.Self-contained accommodation can open at Step 2, not before 12 April. Campsites and caravan parks may also open at Step 2 provided that the only shared facilities used by guests are washing facilities, toilets, water points and waste disposal points. Where it is reasonably possible to do so, access to bathing facilities and water points should be operated on a rota basis as was previously the case last summer.The scientific evidence shows that opening too early or too quickly risks a further lockdown. Therefore, we committed to a phased reopening of accomodation prioritising settings that are self contained to allow individual households (including support bubbles where eligible) to visit these settings at Step 2 whilst reducing the risk of household mixing.

Ministers: Members' Interests

Chris Bryant: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans for the list of ministers' interests, last updated in July 2020, to be updated.

Chloe Smith: Since the first List of Ministers’ Interests was published in 2009, the timing of publication has varied. The next list of Ministers’ interests will be published in due course, following the appointment of a new Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Martyn Day: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the Government's timescale is for introducing a covid-19 vaccine certificate scheme.

Martyn Day: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans the Government has for a covid-19  vaccine certificate scheme that will be accessible in (a) online and (b) offline formats.

Penny Mordaunt: I refer the hon. Member to the previous response provided in PQ171522.

UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what representations he has received from businesses in Great Britain on delays in the distribution of goods to Northern Ireland.

Penny Mordaunt: Government departments regularly engage with individual businesses to support the development of practical solutions to issues raised, to ensure the effective movement of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Government receives regular feedback on issues of concern through the Northern Ireland Secretary’s Business Engagement Forum and the dedicated Protocol sub-group of the Brexit Business Taskforce. This engagement supports ongoing UK-EU discussions on addressing outstanding concerns on the Protocol. Concerns raised are addressed through action, including continuous improvements to the Trader Support Service, which processes approximately 99% of declarations within 15 minutes.

Treasury

Banks: Urban Areas

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring banks to retain a physical banking presence in town and city centres.

John Glen: Decisions on opening and closing branches are a commercial issue for banks and building societies. The Government does not intervene in these decisions or make direct assessments of the merits of a physical banking presence. However, the Government does believe that the impact on communities of bank closures should be understood, considered and mitigated where possible. That is why the Government continues to be supportive of the Access to Banking Standard, which commits firms to ensure customers are well informed about branch closures, the bank’s reasons for closure and options for continued access to banking services. This includes the Post Office, which allows 95% of business and 99% of personal banking customers to carry out their everyday banking at 11,500 Post Office branches across the UK. In September 2020, the FCA published guidance setting out its expectation of firms when they are deciding to reduce their physical branches or the number of free-to-use ATMs. Firms are expected to carefully consider the impact of a planned closure on their customers’ everyday banking and cash access needs, and other relevant branch services and consider possible alternative access arrangements. This will ensure the implementation of closure decisions is undertaken in a way that treats customers fairly.

Pension Funds: Government Securities

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the amount accruing to the Exchequer from the adoption of  Consumer Prices Index Including Owner Occupiers' Housing Costs in relation to index-linked gilts from 2030; and whether he has plans to compensate pensioners in the event that their pension pots are reduced as a result of that matter.

John Glen: Owing to shortcomings in its calculation, the UK Statistics Authority (UKSA) intends to bring the methods and data sources of the Consumer Prices Index including owner occupiers’ housing costs (CPIH) into the Retail Prices Index (RPI). On 25 November 2020, the Government and UKSA published their response to the consultation on the reform to RPI. The Government will not offer compensation to the holders of index-linked gilts. The contractual terms of all index-linked gilts state that the RPI should be used to determine the index ratio which is used to calculate interest and redemption payments. There will be no change to this flowing from the implementation of UKSA’s reform.For further information please see the consultation response at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/a-consultation-on-the-reform-to-retail-prices-index-rpi-methodology.

Cash Dispensing: Fees and Charges

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans his Department has to support the introduction of free-to-use deposit-taking ATMs across the UK.

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that free-to-use cash points are available in the places that they are needed.

John Glen: The Government created the Joint Authorities Cash Strategy Group in 2019, which has provided a forum for the public bodies to formally co-ordinate respective approaches to access to cash. This is chaired by HM Treasury and attended by the Bank of England, Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The Group published an update on the actions of the Group’s members in July 2020. This included work led by the PSR and FCA to develop a comprehensive picture of cash access infrastructure across the UK. With regards to ATMs, LINK (the scheme that runs the UK’s largest ATM network) has existing arrangements in place to protect free-to-use ATMs that do not have another free-to-use ATM or Post Office within one kilometre. LINK’s members have also made £5 million available to fund ATMs at the request of communities with poor access to cash. The PSR has powers to regulate LINK and is holding it to account over its commitment to protect the broad geographic spread of free-to-use ATMs. The Government also continues to be fully supportive of the Post Office Banking Framework Agreement. The agreement allows 95% of business and 99% of personal banking customers to carry out their everyday banking at 11,500 Post Office branches in the UK until December 2022. The terms of future Banking Framework Agreements are commercial decisions between industry and the Post Office. The Government will continue to engage with industry and the Post Office to ensure that that all customers, wherever they live, continue to have access to over the counter banking services. Industry-led initiatives to support financial inclusion and access to cash are also underway. This includes the Community Access to Cash Pilots initiative which is taking place in nine locations across the UK. This initiative is trialling additional cash access facilities – including new ATMs, automated cash deposit facilities and cashback without a purchase – within selected pilot areas. These pilots are to test solutions for ensuring that communities can conveniently withdraw and deposit cash and to identify ways that basic banking services can be better delivered, that could be adopted in other locations. The Government looks forward to the outcomes of these pilots. The Government has committed to legislate to protect access to cash and ensure that the UK’s cash infrastructure is sustainable for the long term. To progress this work, the Government published a Call for Evidence on Access to Cash in October 2020. The Call for Evidence sought views on the key considerations associated with cash access, including deposit and withdrawal facilities, cash acceptance, and regulatory oversight of the cash system. The Government is considering responses to the Call for Evidence and will set out next steps in due course.

Developing Countries: Debts

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to require private creditors to cancel debt owed by developing countries during the covid-19 pandemic.

John Glen: The UK recognises the debt burden faced by developing countries during the Covid-19 pandemic. Support for developing countries is a key priority for the UK’s G7 presidency this year, and this includes delivering effective debt treatments that free up fiscal space to respond to the pandemic. We regularly work with our international partners in the G7, G20 and Paris Club on debt issues, including private sector participation in debt restructurings. As such, we are supportive of the full and swift implementation of the Common Framework. The Common Framework is a G20 agreement that brings together, for the first time, G20 creditors to participate in coordinated debt restructurings. Under the Common Framework, private sector creditors will be required to implement debt restructurings on at least as favourable terms as official creditors. This agreement should pave the way for more efficient, equitable, and effective case-by-case debt restructurings, which will allow low income countries to benefit from a more transparent and responsive approach to seeking debt treatment.

Public Expenditure

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to reduce the deficit projected in Budget 2021 (a) through taxation, (b) from issuing extra currency, (c) from the proposed recovery bond and (d) via other forms of government-issued bonds.

John Glen: Borrowing in 2021-22 is the second highest peacetime level on record, coming only after 2020-21 – it is clearly not sustainable to continue borrowing at record levels indefinitely. The OBR forecast shows that the medium-term outlook for the public finances has returned to a more sustainable path, supported by the fiscal repair measures set out in the Budget. For example, the income tax Personal Allowance and higher rate threshold will be uprated in line with CPI as planned in April 2021, then maintained at that level until April 2026. In 2023, the main rate of corporation tax, paid on company profits, will increase to 25%. Regarding issuing extra currency, the actual demand for banknotes and coins issued into circulation is determined by demand from UK banks and the Post Office – i.e. currency is issued to meet market demand and not to have any effect on the public finances. Government bonds (called ‘gilts’ in the UK) are issued to finance the difference between Exchequer incomings and outgoings rather than being a tool utilised to reduce government deficits.

Financial Services: Gambling

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions (a) he and (b) officials of his Department have had with (i) the banking sector and (ii) financial regulators on bank-based gambling blocks.

John Glen: Government ministers and officials regularly engage with the financial services regulators and financial services industry on a number of issues.The Government recognises the value in voluntary gambling blocks to allow gamblers to self-exclude themselves from making payments to gambling operators. In February 2019, the then DCMS Secretary of State held a roundtable with UK banks, during which the Government set out the merits of gambling blocks.Since then, there has been considerable progress in this area. Since April 2020, licensed gambling operators in the UK have been prohibited from accepting credit card payments and such payments have been blocked by the largest UK banks. For debit cards, almost all of the largest UK banks, as well as the larger digital banks, now have voluntary gambling block features on their debit cards. This means that consumers have considerable market choice in this area and can choose a current account that has the right features for them.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Broadband: Voucher Schemes

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to increase the number of suppliers registered on the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme.

Matt Warman: Building Digital UK has a comprehensive supplier engagement strategy which, since the inception of the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme, has resulted in over 700 suppliers registering to provide connections as part of the Local Full Fibre Networks and the Rural Gigabit Connectivity programmes. As part of Project Gigabit a new UK Gigabit Voucher will launch on 8 April 2021 and supplier registration is already open.

Internet: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2021 to Question 166491 on Digital Technology: Disability, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure that disabled people have access to the internet.

Caroline Dinenage: To tackle the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on disabled people DCMS launched the £2.5m digital inclusion Digital Lifeline fund on 25 February. The fund will provide 5000 devices, data and support for disabled people to use the devices safely and confidently. The government is working on the project with leading digital inclusion charities Good Things Foundation and AbilityNet, both highly experienced in helping disabled people boost their mental health and achieve their goals through digital technology. The Government has worked closely with industry throughout the pandemic and has agreed a set of commitments with the UK’s major broadband and mobile operators to support vulnerable consumers during the Covid-19 period. Providers committed to working with customers who are finding it difficult to pay their bill as a result of Covid-19 to ensure that they are treated fairly and appropriately supported. Supplementary to this work, Ofcom published a Vulnerability Guide for providers, setting out its expectations and good practice on how vulnerable telecoms consumers should be supported.

Culture: North of England

James Daly: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, steps his Department is taking to support the cultural sector in the north of England.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has taken steps to ensure unprecedented levels of support has been provided to the cultural sector in the North of England. In 2020/2021, over £350 million has been invested in over 900 organisations based in the North via Arts Council England and the introduction of the Culture Recovery Fund. The £300m additional funding for the Culture Recovery Fund announced at Budget 2021 will continue to support key cultural organisations up and down the country to help the sector as audiences begin to return, and to ensure a vibrant future for the culture sector as the nation recovers from the pandemic. This support is in addition to the extension of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, and the continued reduction in VAT, which has supported many creatives and organisations across the North of England.

Broadband: Capital Allowances

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 March 2021 to Question 166425, what assessment he has made of the potential acceleration of gigabit broadband rollout as a result of the the super deduction; and whether the Government plans to revise its targets for the rollout of gigabit broadband.

Matt Warman: The March 2021 Budget announced a new super-deduction, allowing companies to cut their tax bill by up to 25p for every £1 they invest in qualifying new plant and machinery assets, ensuring the UK capital allowances regime is among the world’s most competitive. This will give companies a strong incentive to make additional investments, including in gigabit network build, in line with the government’s ambition to achieve nationwide coverage of gigabit-capable broadband as soon as possible.

Broadband: Rural Areas

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the role of satellites is in the delivery of the hardest to reach gigabit connections.

Matt Warman: The government is investing £5 billion to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to the hardest to reach 20% of premises in the UK. Our approach is technologically neutral but, at present, satellite broadband does not meet the technical specification for funding under the £5 billion programme. However, the government recognises that the UK has some very remote places that may be too expensive to build a gigabit-capable broadband network to, even with substantial public subsidy. Less than 0.3% of the country or less than 100,000 premises are likely to fall into this category. On 19 March, the government launched a call for evidence to explore the barriers to improving the broadband of these premises and how innovative new technologies (such as Low Earth Orbit satellites) could help.